I Stole Your Soul
by Patche
Summary: When the queen-bee of his high school applies at the school loser, Inuyasha's, cursed pizza shop, he finds himself rethinking all his preconceived notions of her and falling helplessly in love with a girl he never imagined being able to stand. InuKag
1. The Queen Of Everything

**I Stole Your Soul**

**By: **Patche

**Disclaimer: **I, Patche, do not own Inuyasha, any of its characters or the lyrics to "This Is Twice Now" by Lydia (which will never be used in the story, but were great inspiration for the story)

**Chapter One: The Queen of Everything**

--

_ "Goodnight Kagome." My mother said softly as she tucked me in and turned out my light. I smiled and nodded in her direction._

_ "G'night Momma…" I chimed in response. I saw her walk out of the room and into the arms of my step-father, Ken. They were married about a year ago… only a few months after my father died. Everyone always referred to it as an "accident". I didn't know what all that meant at the tender age of five. That was how old I was when he died._

_ They sauntered off into the hall in the direction of my baby brother, Souta's room. _

_ Once I was certain they were out of sight, I sat up in my bed and tip-toed over to my door, closing it slowly and quietly as to ensure they wouldn't hear me or even guess what I was up to. Just before my door had closed all the way, I heard them kiss Souta goodnight and head off into their own bedroom._

_ Just as the door clicked shut, I closed my own door and shuffled over to the window. I turned the locks to unlock them and pushed up on the bottom pane of the window, opening my room to the night. 'There's no moon out tonight…' I thought to myself as I peeked my head out, checking what I had to go through to get out of the house._

_ My window backed up to the side of the house and was the only window on the side of the house. No one would even know I'd left. Stepping up to the window ledge, I carefully crawled out of my room and landed on the grass beneath the window. _

_ Breathing a sigh of victorious relief, I set off into the moonless night._

_ I dug my hand into my pocket, counting my money from my weekly allowance as I made my way to the road. Two-hundred yen… that had to be enough for an ice cream cone. _

_ I looked up at the road just as it forked. 'Oh no… I don't know which way…' I thought looking frantically between my right and left._

_ 'Should I just go back?' I shook my head. 'No! After all that work you went through to get out?!' _

_ I nodded and took one bold step to my right, feeling this was the path I was meant to take._

_ I walked a few blocks and wound up in a more industrialized area than I'd planned. There were building's everywhere. Yet, no Sakura's Ice Cream shops. Maybe I had gone the wrong way…_

_ I sighed dejectedly, turning down a dark street in between two buildings. I was officially lost. I had no idea where I even was. And it was darker out than it normally is at night and my mom… she had to have woken up and seen that I wasn't in my room._

_ I sat down on the pavement, my back up against the wall and began to cry. 'Would I ever get home?' I thought. 'I shouldn't have left! I didn't even get my ice cream!'_

_ "What's a little girl like you doing crying in the middle of an alleyway?" A strange voice asked. I picked up my head to find a rather large man walking toward me. I couldn't see his face, but I could make out his expression._

_ He was smiling… a sick smile._

_ "Hey, you're Higurashi Masaru's daughter…" The man said, looking a little surprised. _

_ I stood up, on my guard. This man was familiar with my father. Then again, the whole world was. My father was the lead singer for one of Japan's most famous rock groups._

_ "What is it to you?" I shot back, preparing to run._

_ "You know what kind of ransom I could hold you up for?" The man said chuckling and reaching out to grab me._

_ 'Ransom? What did that mean? What did this guy want from me?'_

_I gasped hearing another set of footprints heading down the alleyway. Had this guy brought friends?_

_ "Leave her alone!" _

_ It was a boy's voice. He had to be about my age._

_ The man reaching for me turned to face the intruder and laughed. "Oh yeah? And what if I don't?" He asked, turning away from me._

_ In one swift motion, the boy darted from the other side of the man to me, grabbed my arm and began running from the alley._

_ "What- What's going on?" I asked as I was being pulled down the streets of Tokyo._

_ "Don't ask questions, just pick up your feet and run!" The boy said, picking up speed._

_ "But who are you? Do you know him?"_

_ "Do you listen to people when they speak to you? I told you to run!" He shouted angrily from in front of me, still dragging me behind him._

_ The boy slowed to a stop once he realized the man hadn't been following behind us. I looked up and noticed a streetlight beaming down on us._

_ I took the chance to look up at my savior. He was about my height, looked maybe seven years old. He had long black hair that came below his waist and deep brown eyes that were set a little farther back in his face than mine. He looked tired and had two bags under his eyes. What was he doing out here?_

_ "Are you okay?" He asked me, noticing my attempt to scan him over._

_ "Yeah. Are you?" _

_ He just nodded. "Do you think you know where you are?"_

_ I looked around. We were in a shopping center I recognized, but had only been to in a car. There was a small hill behind it, however, where I saw my shrine sitting. _

_ "Oh, I live right there!" I said, pointing to the shrine on top of the hill._

_ "Alright. I'll take you there." The boy said, grabbing my hand once more. This time, we only walked. "So, what are you doing out so late? Isn't it really dangerous for a girl like you to be out at night?"_

_ I nodded. "I wanted to sneak out and get ice cream from the shop across the street, but I didn't find it…" I murmured ashamed of myself._

_ "Sakura's Ice Cream?" The boy asked me._

_ "Yes! It's my favorite. I always order a special ice cream. It's chocolate ice cream with banana chunks thrown in. It's so good!" I said, getting excited about my special ice cream that I often ordered from the place. I stopped, though, once I noticed the odd look the boy had been shooting me. "At least, it is to me, anyway…" I finished._

_ He shrugged. "My dad is friends with the woman that owns it. I get free ice cream. I'd take you there if it was opened…" He trailed off._

_ "It isn't open?" _

_ The boy shook his head. "Sakura's closes at eight on weekdays."_

_ I gasped. "Guess I wouldn't have gotten ice cream anyway…"_

_ The boy merely shrugged as we began the ascent up the hill to my shrine. _

_ Once we climbed the stairs and made our way up to the window I'd so cleverly snuck out of earlier, I turned to face my savior once more._

_ "Thank you so much for saving me. You're really brave, you know." I said. From the porch light shining next to us, I could see the faint trace of pink that trailed across his cheek bones. I smiled and leaned up to place a soft kiss on his left cheek._

_ He stood there, his mouth wide open and the blush on his face intensifying. I smirked and reached around my neck, pulling off the necklace I'd been wearing all night._

_ "Here…" I murmured, placing it around his neck and fastening the necklace together. "This is my thanks." I smiled, looking at the necklace draped across his neck. It never really did suit me. The necklace was clearly for boys. It was composed of many brown beads, and accented with seven teeth of some animal. My father had left it to me after his tour in Australia. Though I treasured it, I felt it was a necessary gift for this boy's chivalrous behavior._

_ "Goo…goodnight.." He said, regaining his composure. _

_ I gave him a soft nod and reached my hand down to the window pane, opening the window up all the way. "Goodnight…" I gasped, remembering I hadn't even known the boy's name._

_ "Wait!" But when I turned around, the boy had left…_

--

Kagome grabbed her head groggily, opening her eyes to discover she had been dreaming.

"Oh, what a weird day to dream that again…" She said yawning. "What time…" She trailed off, picking up her alarm clock. "Holy crap!" She shouted noticing the clock said eleven. 'My interview is at noon! Oh man, I'm going to be latelatelate! Oh how could I over sleep? Why didn't my alarm wake me?'

Kagome frantically searched around her room for some nicer clothes to wear. After shifting through and trying on two different outfits, she finally decided on a soft pink skirt and a black sweater to wear on top of it.

"Craaaaap!" She shouted, running into the bathroom.

"Kagome, what's up with you?" Souta, asked upon witnessing his sister's erratic behavior that morning.

"I'm LATE!" She shouted from inside the bathroom, applying make-up as quickly as she could.

"Oh yeah. Your interview is today at that pizza place, right?" Souta asked, leaning up against the wall. "I really hope you get the job, Kagome. It'd be so awesome to get free pizza!" He shouted, excitedly. Souta was now eleven years old, while Kagome was already sixteen. Today marked the eleventh year after her father's death. She told herself not to think about that, though. Today was a good day. She was going to get herself a job at Taisho Pizzeria.

"Yeah, that's definitely not why I'm applying, Souta. It has absolutely nothing to do with you and your love of pizza." Kagome said, stepping out of the bathroom. "Do I look okay?" She asked, wincing.

"You look like… a beautiful pizza girl…" Souta said, grinning.

Kagome laughed. "Alright. Thanks! Tell Mama I'll be home later!" Kagome shouted, running out the door.

--

"Umm… Higurashi Kagome?"

Kagome perked her head up from chair she'd been sitting in. Once she came in for her interview, a girl of about fourteen told her to just wait at one of the tables in the restaurant.

"Yes?" She asked, standing up. The girl flashed her a brilliant smile.

"Sesshoumaru-sama will see you now."

Kagome nodded and grabbed her belongings, following the younger girl into the office.

"Thank you, Rin." She heard a voice say from inside the office. Kagome hurried inside and sat down across the desk from a rather peculiar looking man. He had long white hair and deep yellow eyes as well as a crescent-shaped tattoo on his forehead.

He actually looked a lot like one of the boys she'd gone to school with.

"So, you are Higurashi Kagome?" The man asked calmly. Kagome nodded eagerly.

"I am she." She said strangely.

The man raised his eyebrows, looking over a sheet of paper. "You have no other experience?" He asked.

"Well, no. This would be my first job, but if I sent you over some transcripts from my high school, I'm sure you'd see that I'm a very hard worker. I'm incredibly dedicated and I promise to be responsible-"

The man held up a hand, silencing her. "I only asked if you had any experience…" He said slowly.

"No…" Kagome said guiltily.

"You were supposed to be here ten minutes earlier." The man said again. "Is this a prelude to how tactful you'll be if I hire you?"

Kagome shook her head furiously. "No, sir. I promise what happened today was a very rare mistake."

The man nodded, looking slightly disinterested. "If I should hire you… You do understand what your tasks will be?" He asked.

Kagome blinked.

"Washing dishes, answering phones, helping customers… cleaning off tables, waiting on customers… Pretty much anything I don't feel like doing."

Kagome nodded. "I am able to do all those things."

"Good. And do you have a problem working until one or two in the morning?"

Kagome shook her head. "I'm a night owl anyway." She said laughing. The man across from her merely stared indifferently. Kagome's laughter quickly slowed and became more forced and awkward before she finally shut her mouth.

"You may leave." The man said softly.

'LEAVE?! I didn't get the job?! I'm a failure!' Kagome's mind screamed as she stood up to walk out of his office. 'I completely bombed that! I'm so stupid! Why did I think being a night owl was so funny?! What is WRONG with me?'

"Yes sir…" Kagome said, standing from her chair.

--

"So, you know what I heard…" A girl with long, brown hair sat at her lunch table in school, taking a bite of her roll from her tray. Across from her sat a pale girl with black hair who seemed uninterested in all that was going on around her.

"What did you hear, Sango?" She asked dryly.

"Sesshoumaru's going to hire Higurashi Kagome!" Sango said, her mouth full of food. "Yeah… I get to train her… How much does that suck?"

The girl across from her scoffed. "She's really going to work there? Did her father's check finally run out or something?"

Sango laughed. "Kikyou… this is going to be brutal. I mean, can you picture Inuyasha… and Kagome… working together?"

"Inuyasha will rip that poor girl a new one. I can't believe Sesshoumaru would hire her." Kikyou said, taking a sip of her drink.

"Well, Sesshoumaru never really was too keen on his brother's well-being…" Sango said as the aforementioned boy appeared before them.

He gazed down at them with amber eyes. He had long, white hair that came down to his shoulders an two dog ears on top of his head.

He was a half demon, noticeably… and he never heard the end of it once in his life.

"Inuyasha…" Kikyou said, scooting down on her bench to make room for him.

"Yo…" He said, kissing the girl beside him lightly. "So, what's going on with Sesshoumaru?" He asked Sango.

"Higurashi is working with us… I get to train her… hoorah…" Sango said sarcastically.

"WHAT?! Ugh…" Inuyasha groaned in disgust. "Why would Sesshoumaru even consider…"

"I guess she gave him a nice 'perky, customer-friendly' attitude that he wanted… He just liked her tits. That's all she is… boobs and a reputation…" Sango scoffed. "I thought we were doing fine with just me and Rin…"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "He's doing this just to piss me off, I know it."

"Don't let it get to you…" Kikyou said. "I doubt Kagome really means that much harm to you, Inuyasha. She just needed a job."

"Why are you taking her side?" Inuyasha grumbled.

"I'm not taking her side. I'm telling you to get over yourself for five seconds and realize that Kagome and Sesshoumaru aren't out to get you. This is just how things work. Don't get me wrong, she really pisses me off… but she's not out to destroy you…" Kikyou said standing up. "I'm going home. I don't feel so great…" She mumbled before walking off.

Inuyasha scoffed. "Keh! What the hell was that?"

Sango shook her head. "A direct attack on you. What's going on?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "She's probably just pissed off that I'm going to be around Kagome all the time."

Sango laughed. "And why would this piss Kikyou off?"

"I don't know. But she's been picking fights with me like this ever since Kuwashima-sensei paired me with Kagome for labs." Inuyasha said, taking a bit of his mashed potatoes.

Sango shook her head. "She can't be jealous, can she? I mean, Kikyou's gorgeous! And she's so smart and loving! What does Kagome have on that?"

"I know, Sango… it's ridiculous…"

--

"Hello?" Kagome asked answering her phone as it began to ring later that night.

"Higurashi?" It was the girl from the restaurant earlier.

"Yes?" Kagome asked.

"Oh, hi Kagome! It's Rin from Taisho's… Listen, Sesshoumaru-sama wanted me to let you know that we'd be happy to hire you. When would you be able to come in for training?"

Kagome felt her breath hitch in her throat. She was hired! She smiled giddily. "Umm anytime would be fine."

"Great. How about tomorrow at four?"

"Perfect, I'll be there!"

--

AN: First chapter is up! YAY! I hope you all enjoy this story. It's stemmed from my own life… ish… mixed with other muses and voila! I should be updating soon.

Please review! I love to know what you guys think!

Love Always,

Patche


	2. Holding Grudges and First Impressions

I Stole Your Soul

**By: **Patche

**Disclaimer: **I, Patche, do not own Inuyasha, any of its characters or the lyrics to "This Is Twice Now" by Lydia (which will never be used in the story, but were great inspiration for the story)

**Chapter Two: Holding Grudges and First Impressions**

--

"14, 33, 6…" Kagome said her combination aloud as she turned the lock to the appropriate numbers, then opened once the lock released.

"You know, you keep saying those numbers out loud, someone's bound to break into your locker one of these days…"

Kagome gasped and slammed herself against the lockers only to be met with the blue eyes of her boyfriend. "Kouga…" She said, holding a hand to her chest. "You scared me…"

The boy in front of her laughed and leaned in to kiss her. "You need to chill out, miss. You really shouldn't be this jumpy…" He mumbled against her lips as he began to pull away.

Kagome nodded sheepishly and pushed him back softly to get into her locker. "It's just all this… stuff… I have going on. I start at Taisho's tonight, I've got three exams tomorrow, I have to print out the scripts for the _Aladdin_ play the drama club is putting on next month…"

"You still have that vexatious V-card hanging over your head…" Kouga muttered along with her rant.

Kagome scoffed and slammed her locker shut, turning around to face him, furrowing her brow. "I've told you Kouga…" She started.

"I know, _you want to wait until the right moment_… I'm telling you. Koji and I are getting that beach house next weekend. Perfect time…" Kouga said smiling.

Kagome scoffed. "Not the perfect time…" She said, snaking away from him. Kouga caught her by the arm.

"I'm just kidding, baby! Come on… you know that…" Kagome stopped squirming, but still refused to turn and face him.

"Fuck, I'll wait all year, babe. It doesn't matter to me…" He whispered against her neck, kissing the assaulted flesh.

Kagome sighed. "It's not that…"

"Then what is it?" Kouga asked, spinning her around.

"I mean, it _is_ that, but you just… you don't take any of this seriously." Kagome shrugged. "I mean, this is my life… drama club, writing scripts, taking tests… this is what I do! I take it seriously."

Kouga smiled. "I know you do. You take everything seriously. That's why I'm so crazy about you. You and I just work together. You're the type-A daughter of the greatest rock star anyone's ever known and I am the lovable, playful Kouga that takes the edge off everything… I'm like Vodka or something." He said laughing at himself.

'Of course…' Kagome thought to herself. Sadly enough, she was aware that through their entire five-month relationship, Kouga's main attraction to Kagome was that she was related to the lead singer and guitarist of his favorite band, _Sankon Tessou_. Everything else didn't matter or wasn't annoying enough to force him to leave the daughter of Higurashi Masaru.

"Kagome-chan, Kouga-kun!"

They both looked up to see a girl with big red pigtails running toward them.

"Ayame-chan…" Kagome said as the girl approached them.

"Sup?" Kouga asked the girl before him.

"Are you two coming to Koji's beach house next weekend?" Ayame asked.

Kagome looked over at Kouga.

"We were just talking about that, actually." Kouga said, snaking an arm around Kagome's waist. "We're definitely in."

Kagome shot him a glare. "I'll have to check my schedule at work and make sure they won't need me…"

Kouga smirked and waved Kagome off. "I'm coming no matter what." He said laughing. Ayame giggled alongside him while Kagome just glared at him.

"Hey, half breed!" Kouga called out as a boy walked past them. Kagome recognized him as the boy in her Zoology class. He was the boy her teacher had paired her up with as lab partners, but they had yet to do a lab together.

"Don't call him that." Kagome said, clenching her teeth. She was growing annoyed with Kouga this morning.

"It's all good fun, Kagome." Kouga said removing his hand from her as Inuyasha came closer. "Is your mom single? I hear she really digs demons…" He smirked. Ayame threw herself against the locker from laughing so hard.

Inuyasha turned to face him and glared at both him and Kagome as he walked by.

"Kouga! You're so mean! But it's so funny!" Ayame said continuing to laugh hysterically. Kagome just groaned and pushed herself away from him, storming off in the direction of her class.

--

As she pulled into a parking spot in front of Taisho's Pizzeria, Kagome took a few moments to glance over herself in the mirror. She grimaced noticing the bags under her eyes were still visible, despite the concealer she used to cover them this morning. Just another reminder of how much trouble she had falling asleep at night.

Giving up on her reflection, Kagome turned the ignition of her car off and pulled the key from its hole. She quickly grabbed her purse and marched up that sidewalk and to the door, tossing the key ring into her bag. She looked up on her way down the sidewalk of the strip mall noticing a small spa beside Taisho's.

'A spa?' Kagome mused. 'Is that all too healthy to have these two side-by-side?'

Ignoring her thoughts, Kagome marched on to the door of Taisho's and swung it open.

She was instantly greeted by the same girl from a couple days ago… Rin.

"Hi! You're early!" Rin said, her grin consuming her entire face. She stood behind a counter a little ways up from the door. Rin's long brown hair was pulled back in a low ponytail and she sported a white T shirt that said "Taisho's Girl" on the front in sequins.

'Oh God… is that my uniform?' Kagome thought horrified by the shirt.

Rin noticed Kagome staring at her chest in horror and giggled, waving her hand. "I made these last year for myself and Sango. I'd be happy to make you one if you'd like, but it isn't a requirement."

Kagome laughed. "It's a cute idea, but I think it'd be a little much… at least for now."

Rin nodded and walked around the side of the counter, picking up a stack of thin cards. "These are our time cards. You can fill one out if you want. No guarantees that you'll be paid for coming in ten minutes early, but you can try."

"Oh okay." Kagome said. Rin reached over and picked a pen from the pen holder, handing it to Kagome.

"Now just write your name up top… then today's date in this box… then the hours. And you'll just do this every time you come in. It's pretty simple!" Rin said as Kagome finished filling out her time card for the day. "Now, Sango called and said she wasn't feeling well enough to come in today. It's fine. It should be really slow today, anyway. So, I'm supposed to help train you for today." Kagome nodded as Rin took the time card from her hand.

"So, first off, time cards go in this drawer. This drawer is only for time cards, so you'll always know where to find yours. We leave the stack on the counter. They're usually over to the side and out of the way of the phones, but I just moved them over here for easy access." She pushed the stack of time cards to the other side of the counter and moved with Kagome behind the counter.

"Alright, now these are the phones…" Rin pointed to two black landlines perched on the counter. "We've got two lines. If you want to switch over to another line, just hit this button…" Rin demonstrated. "But you really shouldn't have to. Whenever you pick up the phone it'll automatically go to the available line. We usually just do this if we end a call on line one and need to answer whoever's holding on line two."

Rin clapped her hands together and plastered on a cheesy smile as she delivered her next direction. "Oh! When you answer the phone, you always have to answer, "Taisho's this is Rin!"." The girl's face fell. "Only, you wouldn't say Rin… you'd say Kagome…"

Kagome nodded. "Makes sense…"

Rin looked around the counter, wondering what else to introduce Kagome to. "This is where we keep the pens…" She said, gesturing to the pen holder she'd used earlier. "Here are our ticket books…" She pointed to the stack of ticket books. "When you fill one of these bad boys out, just write in some short hand version of the food. The cooks usually know what means what. We really don't offer many variations. Just make sure to write 'S' for small, 'M' for medium, and 'L' for large. Then you'll want to make a dash and write out the short-hand for the toppings…" Rin looked up to see Kagome was lost.

"Here, I'd better show you…" She murmured, grabbing a book and a pen. "So, let's say someone wants a small pepperoni and sausage pizza. All you have to write is 'S-Pep Saus'." Kagome nodded.

"What about cheese?"

"Well, they all come with cheese, silly." Rin said laughing.

Kagome chortled and shook her head. "No, I mean what if someone wants a cheese pizza?"

"OH!" Rin said loudly giggling at herself. "Sorry, I'm a total ditz sometimes. Just write cheese next to the size." Kagome nodded, pursing her lips.

"When people come in, you want to be friendly and say "Welcome to Taisho's. Can I help you?" Or some version of that… Umm if someone comes in and the phone is ringing, just help the person that walked in." Rin paused, searching her brain for more to tell Kagome.

"You might want to just go around and wipe off the tables whenever you have some free time. We don't really have to clean tables because this isn't a restaurant kind of restaurant. We don't have waiters or hostesses. Kind of like fast food."

Kagome nodded.

"I guess that's it…" Rin said. "Huh… Well, I pretty much did Sango's work for her. Do you have any questions?" She asked the girl beside her.

Kagome shook her head. "Umm… I'm sure if I had any they'll come up while I'm working."

"Right." Rin said, nodding. "Well, hey, I can introduce you to the cook at least." Rin walked back to the kitchen with Kagome. "This is Izayoi!" Rin said smiling as she held out her hand to introduce the woman before them. Kagome looked up and noticed Izayoi had long, black hair that was tied back in a low ponytail, similar to Rin's. She had soft brown eyes and porcelain skin. She was about Kagome's height, while Rin was a few inches shorter than the both of them.

Izayoi looked up from the magazine she was reading on the table and smiled. "Hello."

"Izayoi is Inuyasha's mom. Her husband owned this place, but Sesshoumaru owns it now and Izayoi decided to stick around and kind of co-manage it with him until Inuyasha was old enough to co-manage it…" Rin said, trailing off.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked. 'That kid I'm paired up with in Zoology?' Kagome recognized the name after hearing her teacher pair them up together. However, she'd never spoken to Inuyasha. He belonged to a group of people that Kagome and her friends never really interacted with. At least this would be her chance to get to know him before any labs began in Zoology.

"Rin! Tell me she's late so we can just fire her already!" A loud voice boomed from the front just as the door shut.

"That would be Inuyasha… Sesshoumaru's half brother…" Rin said slowly.

Inuyasha's ears perked up. He walked through the pathway to the kitchen to find his mother, Rin, and Kagome all huddled together by the preparation table.

"Ah shit…" he grumbled.

"Inuyasha, this is Kagome. Kagome, this is Inuyasha." Izayoi said, cheerfully holding her hands out in between the two of them.

"Hello." Kagome said softly as she took his features in. He was the boy that Kouga had picked on earlier today.

Inuyasha just glared at her.

"Okay…" Kagome said softly, stepping away from him.

"Inuyasha, be nice! She just started working here. It's already awkward for the poor girl!" Izayoi scolded.

"Keh! I don't care, Mom! This girl never had a chance to experience _awkward_ before!" Inuyasha spat back.

"Do you two know each other?" Rin inquired.

"I don't believe…" Kagome started.

"We go to school together. You're Higurashi Kagome, the very talented and special daughter of Higurashi Masaru. You partake in drama club, history club, and are even in the archery club with my girlfriend. Neither you nor any members of your family would know anything of a hard day's work if it hit you in the face. Oh, and you don't know a thing about me or any other members of our class that don't feel the need to constantly hover over you and treat you like the princess that you are because of your father's bleak success in the music industry before he overdosed on heroin like every other washed up asshole that strums a guitar for a living. _That's_ why you don't believe we've met before." Inuyasha answered for her.

Kagome stared at him, shocked by what he had said to her.

"Inuyasha…" His mother seethed. The boy merely shrugged.

"I know you pretty well, kid." He said turning on his heel and heading for the door. "Looks like I've reached my quota for the day. I'm just gonna go home. I'll see you at the house, Mom!" He shouted, opening the door.

Rin looked up at Kagome, concerned as she saw a tear forming in the girl's eye. "Kagome?" She asked, reaching out to touch her. Izayoi sighed and stepped to the other side of the table.

"I don't know what's gotten into him." She said, lightly touching Kagome's shoulder. "I'm so sorry… some kind of impression, huh?"

Kagome shook her head and clenched her fist, running out the door behind him.

"Oh no…" Rin and Izayoi said simultaneously.

"Listen here, buddy!" Kagome shouted just as she'd opened the door and reached the sidewalk to find the silver-haired boy walking slowly away from the restaurant. He turned his head to face her curiously.

"Oh, what is it?" He asked, heading back in her direction. "Did I leave something out?"

Kagome huffed and clenched her fists, straining to keep the tears from falling from her eyes. "I don't care what you think of me… but don't you DARE bring my family… especially my _father_ into your stupid little grudge against the world!"

Inuyasha scoffed and stepped closer to Kagome. "A grudge against the world?"

Kagome nodded her head. "Yeah… you and all your little friends that hate anything that isn't depressing and bitter. Just because you're too damn proud to appreciate the small things in life that you're blessed with, you hold a grudge on those that do appreciate the smaller things."

Inuyasha closed the distance between them. "I don't hold a grudge against anyone but you and your stupid boyfriend…" Inuyasha snarled right into her face. "Now go back in there and earn some money that you and your family don't need and avoid talking to me as much as you can for the rest of your time here." He finished, backing away from her and heading off in the direction of his car.

Kagome groaned and stomped her foot.

"Kagome…" Rin said, grabbing her arm.

"I'm so sorry." The older girl turned to face her. "Am I going to be fired now?"

Izayoi stood by the door and laughed. "No. Sesshoumaru probably expected something like this to happen. Inuyasha never really was good at meeting new people. Come back inside. We need to practice taking an order." Kagome nodded and let Rin guide her back into the restaurant.

--

AN: Yes, Inuyasha is mean… Kouga's mean… Everyone's mean. I didn't include Sango in this chapter. So sorry. She's coming up in the next chapter… as well as our favorite houshi! I'm actually looking forward to writing Miroku. I never do the poor guy justice (not that I do anyone in any of my stories justice). Thanks for all the reviews, guys. I remember coming home last night and just telling myself, "you're lucky if you have one…".

And yes, Kagome's dad's band IS named after The "Iron Reaver **Soul Stealer**" hehehe.

Please review! I love to know what you guys think!

Love Always,

Patche


	3. The Most Hated Girl in the Land

I Stole Your Soul

**By: **Patche

**Disclaimer: **I, Patche, do not own Inuyasha, any of its characters or the lyrics to "This Is Twice Now" by Lydia (which will never be used in the story, but were great inspiration for the story)

**Chapter Three: The Most Hated Girl in the Land**

--

"So, Kagome! Do I get free pizza for being your brother?!" Souta jumped excitedly as Kagome returned home from her first night of training. The girl merely groaned in response and walked passed him straight to her room.

"What's eating her?" Souta asked to his mother watching the exchange between them from the couch.

"She's probably tired, dear. Leave her be." His mother responded, turning her attention back to the television in front of her. Souta sighed defeated and ran off into the hallway.

He was headed toward his own room, but stopped when he passed Kagome's closed door and heard sniffling from inside.

"Kagome?" Souta asked through the closed door.

"Leave me alone, Souta!" She shouted from inside.

"Is this just because you're tired or is something wrong?" He asked, receiving no response from the girl on the other side. "Kagome!" Souta groaned, opening the door to peek inside. He spotted his sister sitting on her bed, shoved up in the corner and crying into her knees.

Souta frowned, approaching her.

"Why are you crying, nee-chan?" He asked, sitting beside her.

"Didn't I tell you to leave me alone?" Kagome muttered, picking her head up to reveal the streaks of tears that had run down her face.

Souta nodded. "Yeah, but I wouldn't leave you in here crying all by yourself. Let me guess what the problem is…" Souta said, placing a hand at the top of her head and closing his eyes. He hummed loudly and received an annoyed look from his older sister.

"You just discovered that Taisho's does not give out discounts to their employees…" He murmured. "And you feel sad knowing you can't help your sweet and loving little brother in bringing him pizza after work…" Souta opened his eyes to take in the glare his sister was shooting him.

"What?" Souta asked, cracking a grin.

"Get… out…" Kagome said, turning away from him.

"Awh, come on Kagome! I can't help if I don't know the problem…"

"I don't care. I didn't ask for help." She muttered as her brother stood from her bed and walked out her door, closing it behind her.

Kagome sighed and brought her head down to her knees again. 'I hate that my life has to be like this…' She thought to herself. 'Those that like me only like me because of who my father is… everyone else hates me for being liked on such shallow terms…' She clenched her eyes shut, forcing the tears to remain behind her lids. 'Why does it have to be this way? Can't I just be Kagome and let the rest of the world figure out how they feel based on that?'

--

Izayoi returned home that night. She walked up the stairs to the apartment she shared with her son and opened the door to reveal the dark apartment lit only by the flickering images of the television screen. Glancing in the direction of the light, she saw her son barely lit on the couch, watching the box in front of him.

"Inuyasha, you were exceptionally rude to that girl tonight. I know I raised you better." Izayoi mumbled, stripping herself of her coat and hanging it on the coat rack by their front door.

"Keh! That's what you think. She's been rude to Kikyou before, it's nothing she didn't deserve." Inuyasha mumbled.

"Maybe so, but she's never been rude to _you_. Inuyasha, I swear, if you're basing all this hatred off something Kikyou told you.."

"You'll what?" Inuyasha snapped, interrupting his mother. "God, I don't get what your problem with Kikyou is anyway…"

"She's a spiteful brat." Izayoi said matter-of-factly as she sat beside her son. "She doesn't appreciate anything that you do for her, doesn't appreciate the rest of the world for that matter and seems to hate anyone that is actually moderately happy with their life. And she's changing you, Inuyasha." Izayoi picked her son's face up by his chin to force eye contact. "You used to be happy, you know. Now all you ever do is mope and whine and take Kikyou's opinions on everything."

Inuyasha snatched his face from his mother's grip and turned back to the television. "You're crazy… I've been like this since dad died. Don't blame Kikyou for any of it."

Izayoi looked hurt and retracted her hand. "I just know you used to smile more and you were kinder to people."

"Yeah, then I started high school and the world turned on me." Inuyasha stood from the couch, dropping the remote in his mother's lap before walking off to his room. "Goodnight." Izayoi heard him say flatly before closing his door.

The woman sighed and craned her neck back against the cushions of the couch. "Kami... I need a miracle to get through to that boy…" She mumbled, running a hand down her face in exhaustion.

--

"So did she storm off crying?" Sango asked at lunch the following day as Inuyasha shared the details of Kagome's first day at work with her and Kikyou.

"No. The stupid bitch chased after me and tried to tell me off saying I'm ungrateful and that's why I mope around and blah blah blah…" Inuyasha said imitating Kagome with the last bit.

Kikyou huffed. "Yeah… look who's talking…" She mumbled, taking a sip of her large fountain drink. Inuyasha peered over at her through the corner of his eye.

"Are you feeling any better today?" He asked, placing his hand over hers.

Kikyou nodded and smiled up at him. "I'm sorry for what I said yesterday." Kikyou looked over at Sango who was watching the couple incredulously. "Girl problems…" She muttered, noticing Sango's rather suspicious look at her change of heart.

"Keh! You girls and your damn 'PMS'. It's no wonder so many guys are gay…" Inuyasha mumbled.

"Well, you know Jakotsu's desperately awaiting the day you start batting for the other team." Sango joked.

"Gross!" Inuyasha shouted in disgust. However, just as he began to feel the tug of a smile at his lips, he saw her across the cafeteria with her precious wolf. Inuyasha inwardly sneered at the couple. Kagome turned to look in his direction. Once their eyes met, Inuyasha made sure to furrow his brow and scowl at the girl across the room from him.

He watched Kagome's eyes widen then quickly shift their focus back to the boy beside her.

He turned his ears back to whatever Kikyou and Sango had begun to discuss.

"I don't know. I think the idea of her working with you two just had me a little jealous, you know?"

Sango scoffed. "Kikyou… Like Inuyasha and I would ever abandon you for a Barbie doll like _her_."

"I know that. But you guys don't know her. I mean she has friends for a reason…" Kikyou muttered.

"Yeah, because her dad was a famous musician… that's it." Inuyasha interjected. "No one likes her for who she really is. They only like who she was born as."

"He's right. There are rumors going around that Kouga's really only after some kind of record deal for that stupid band of his…"

Inuyasha's ears perked up.

Kikyou let out a light sigh. "Oh, the poor thing…" She muttered sarcastically.

Sango laughed. "I know. They're a match made in heaven if you ask me."

--

Kagome smiled weakly as Rin thrust the white shit into her arms.

"I went ahead and made you one…" She said smiling. Kagome nodded uneasily and unfolded the shirt to reveal the bright red sequins that spelled 'Taisho's Girl' right across what would be her chest.

'Great…'

"Go, go put it on!" Rin shouted eagerly ushering Kagome to the restroom.

Kagome laughed "Oh… okay…" She said walking into the restroom and making certain to lock the door behind her.

She took a moment to glance over her own reflection. Her long black hair was up in a high ponytail. A few strands and her bangs hung loose alongside her hair. Her bright brown eyes seemed clouded over with fatigue and the bags that sat beneath them had only grown more impressive in the next day.

She nodded, disappointed with herself and reached down to the bottom of her shirt, lifting it up over her head. Kagome reached over and grabbed the sequined top, placing it on over her torso.

The sequins weren't so horrible. In fact, the shirt was cute, save for the cleavage the long v neck showed for her.

"Eh…" Kagome groaned, looking for some way out of this. She could just tell Rin it didn't fit her. The long v neck obviously was an indication that she needed a smaller size. Opening the door, she stuck her head out to call for Rin. Sighing after not seeing the younger girl anywhere nearby, Kagome stepped out of the bathroom only to meet with the same scowling yellow eyes that she had earlier in school that day.

She inwardly groaned. His eyes, however, shifted their gaze from hers and softened as they fell on the very dramatic cleavage she left hanging out for the world to see.

Kagome gasped, throwing an arm over it. "Just what do you think you're staring at?!" She spat, her face growing red with embarrassment.

Inuyasha scoffed and turned his head away. "NOT you. Don't flatter yourself…" He mumbled, walking away.

Kagome huffed and walked off in the opposite direction. 'Whatever… he was totally gawking at them…' She thought just as she felt herself colliding with something… or rather, some_one_.

"I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying attention…" Kagome murmured, stepping back from the light blue button up she landed in.

"Well, hellooo pretty lady." She heard from the voice above her head.

Kagome looked up to find deep blue eyes locked, very blatantly, on her breasts.

She clenched her eyes shut and threw her arms over herself again in an attempt to hide them. 'Why didn't I just put on my shirt while I was in the bathroom?' She thought to herself feeling ridiculous walking around the restaurant like this.

The man in front of her chuckled. "I promise, I'm harmless…" He murmured, holding a hand up in surrender. "I'm Miroku. Are you a new… uh… Taisho girl?" He asked, smirking.

Kagome didn't know whether to be excited by someone treating her decently or to be upset that the man still hadn't taken his eyes off her chest.

"I started yesterday." She said politely, pulling up on the neck of her shirt to cover herself up.

"Well isn't that exciting? I trust Inuyasha is treating you well?" He asked receiving a growl from the hanyou in the kitchen. "Anyway, I'm Miroku." He extended his hand for Kagome to shake. "I work next door at the Kazaana." He smirked.

"Are you a stylist?" Kagome asked. Miroku nodded. "And you're straight…?" She assumed judging by his earlier behavior.

"Of course." The man smiled cheerfully.

"What kind of straight man picks up a job in a hair salon?" Kagome asked, laughing at the idea.

"A very smart one, my dear…" Miroku said, winking.

"I see you've met Miroku." A voice chimed behind her. Kagome whipped her head around to see Rin standing beside her. "He works next door. I should tell you… anyone from next door gets free food. No questions. They own this building and instead of charging Sesshoumaru-sama full rent, they settled for a deal like this."

Miroku nodded. "It's a great deal, too." He said smiling.

"Miroku likes to come in and help out, though, when it's slow over there." Rin said as Kagome noticed Miroku had been standing on the wrong side of the counter for a customer. "Oh!" Rin said, turning to Miroku. "And Miroku, this is Kagome. She just started yesterday."

Miroku smiled. "Kagome. What a lovely name…" He mused, his deep blue eyes penetrating through hers.

Kagome felt her cheeks heating up. "Uh… thank you…" She breathed out.

"Hey Miroku! Quit romancing the new girl! You'll make Sango jealous…" Inuyasha shouted as the door to the restaurant slammed shut.

"Sango's here?" Miroku asked looking around.

Kagome tore her eyes from the boy in front of her and also scanned the restaurant for this girl. Once her eyes landed on Sango, Kagome recognized her in an instant.

Sango was one of Inuyasha's friends. She noticed that in school earlier that day. However, Sango also was the captain of the volleyball team two years ago and gave Kagome a rough time when she tried-out for the team. Kagome was well aware of a long-standing grudge Sango had against her mostly due to rumors and Kikyou. However, unlike Kikyou, Sango stood up to Kagome on several occasions in an attempt to 'put her in her place'.

_Kagome gasped as the volleyball came flying over the net. She dove for it but missed and landed on the floor with a loud thud. _

_"Ouch…" She muttered as two boys nearby rushed to her side._

_"Kagome-san. Are you okay?" One of them asked. Kagome raised her head and nodded._

_She heard a loud scoff from beside her as the ball was picked up off the ground._

_"Maybe if you spent more time training for this I could let you on the team." She looked up to see the girl with big chocolate brown eyes and a long brown ponytail scowling at her._

_"Sango, Kagome-san may actually be hurt. She should be allowed to retry." One of the boys that had rushed to her aid said to the girl who showed no intentions of taking his words into consideration._

_"Just throw a little concealer on it and you'll be fine, princess…" Sango muttered, dribbling the volleyball once before holding it in between her hip and her arm. "As for retrying, I'm going to have to say no."_

_"But why?" Kagome asked._

_"Because you failed the test…. Duh…" Sango turned her back on the girl, then whipped her head around to utter out one more remark. "And you treat people like shit. Maybe I'd consider bending the rules if that wasn't the case."_

Kagome still didn't understand what Sango meant when she said that. Kagome had never treated anyone poorly… maybe Inuyasha but that was only after he'd provoked her to that point.

She assumed it had something to do with the fact that both Sango and Inuyasha were friends with Kikyou. Kagome didn't understand why, but the rumors began just after the start of high school, when Kagome joined the archery club and Kikyou didn't make the cut.

"Well, Higurashi…" Sango said, approaching her in her very intimidating manner. "Guess I figured Inuyasha would've scared you off by now."

Kagome blinked a few times, not responding to the girl's words.

"Sango, Inuyasha couldn't scare a fly away…" Miroku muttered to the girl.

Sango eyed him carefully. "What are you even doing here?" She snapped.

Miroku laughed. "I'm just here to see your beautiful face, love."

Sango cringed, turning away from him and storming off into the kitchen where Inuyasha had been hiding.

"You should do something like that when she gets all 'superior'…" Miroku said smiling at Kagome. "It always works."

Kagome smiled lightly. "I'm sure it would definitely work for me…"

"So, why do they all seem so upset with you?" Miroku asked, sitting down in a chair behind the counter.

"I go to school with them…" Kagome started. Miroku nodded, urging her to continue. "I really don't have much more than that. I know my boyfriend's a total jerk to Inuyasha… and I know they're friends with a girl named Kikyou. Kikyou has some major issues with me over something very stupid that happened at the beginning of high school." Kagome looked down at the ground before her. "But I guess she's been spreading rumors about me to anyone that'll listen."

Miroku nodded.

"I don't want to train her, though!" Both Kagome and Miroku turned to see Sango yelling at Rin in the kitchen behind them.

"Sango, you're going to have to get over this… both you and Inuyasha. She works here now. You might as well treat her like a human being!" Izayoi scolded.

Kagome sighed and gave Miroku one pathetic look before heading out the door.

--

AN: Sorry it took me a bit to update. I was having a lot of trouble with this chapter. I didn't really know how I wanted Sango to seem. I know she is coming off as a TOTAL bitch. No worries, she'll chill out with time. I really wanted to explain that Inuyasha has no real reason to hate Kagome other than whatever Kikyou's issue with her is… and the fact that she's dating the guy that gives him the hardest time.

Poor Kagome… Things will look up for you soon, I promise.

Please review! I love to know what you guys think!

Love Always,

Patche


	4. Apologies

I Stole Your Soul

**By: **Patche

**Disclaimer: **I, Patche, do not own Inuyasha, any of its characters or the lyrics to "This Is Twice Now" by Lydia (which will never be used in the story, but were great inspiration for the story)

**Chapter Four: Apologies**

--

"Did she leave?" Rin asked, popping her head into the waiting area of the restaurant. Miroku sighed and pursed his lips before speaking.

"So it would seem…" He murmured, standing from his chair.

Izayoi, Sango, and Inuyasha all stared in disbelief as the front area.

"I cannot believe you two…" Izayoi spoke in a whisper. "She has done nothing wrong and you two gave her such a rough time that she left!" Izayoi raised her voice with the last part of her sentence. "You two are seventeen years old! How can you behave like toddlers?!"

Inuyasha flattened his ears guiltily as his mother shouted at him.

"Izayoi-san, Kagome isn't as nice as you think-"

"That doesn't matter!" Izayoi interrupted Sango. "You work here… you all are here to get paid, not to make friends. What will happen to you in the real world when you get a job and are forced to work with someone you don't like? Are you just going to scare them away too?" Izayoi let out a huff and flattened her clothing. "Sesshoumaru will have a fit when he finds out that she left… We needed a third phone girl to take some of Rin's hours." Izayoi raised an eyebrow. "Someone's going to go and apologize…"

Miroku approached the woman, raising a hand. "I think I could convince her to come back."

Izayoi smiled. "Thank you, Miroku. However, I think this is a job for my son."

Inuyasha's eyed widened. "WHAT?! I-"

Izayoi held a hand up to silence him. "I don't care, Inuyasha. You will apologize to her and make sure she returns to work tomorrow."

"But-"

Izayoi furrowed her brow. "You'll do it…" She seethed dangerously.

Inuyasha groaned. "FINE!" He shouted, crossing his arms. "But I won't mean it, because I'm not sorry."

"I don't care…" Izayoi said, turning away from her son and heading to her preparation table.

Inuyasha scoffed and whipped his head around to face Sango. She was staring at the ground with sad eyes.

'Great, now my mom's got Sango feeling all guilty, too…' Inuyasha flipped his hair over his shoulder and headed out the door of his shop, grumbling all the way home.

--

Kagome opened her locker just after her zoology class the next morning. She had to sit next to Inuyasha. She figured it wasn't so bad, just one hour of him glaring at her out of the corner of his eye. She looked up at the books in her locker and felt a wave of sadness crash over her.

It wasn't that she liked Inuyasha. She really didn't care how he felt. He was an outcast and according to the very sacred high school social hierarchy, didn't deserve a smidge of her attention. She just found that it was getting harder and harder to fit into any group. It was something he, Sango, and Kikyou wouldn't begin to understand.

Of course she was popular. She enjoyed being popular. Who wouldn't like that much attention and adoration? What bothered her was that the very reason behind her popularity rested on something she never accomplished. And it was the same thing that kept Inuyasha away from her. It was all just so shallow.

She'd never bonded with anyone on a 'deep' level before. Even Kouga only knew the details of her life. He never cared to delve beyond the labels.

"Boo…" She heard a flat voice say on the other side of her locker door.

Kagome gasped and threw the door closed to reveal the aforementioned hanyou standing beside her.

She was taken aback at the sight of him. "Inuyasha?" She asked.

He cocked a grin and leaned his side against the lockers, facing her and crossing his arms. "Yeah…" He muttered, the smile fading slowly.

"What do you want?" Kagome asked rudely, yet maintaining a sense of genuine confusion in her question.

Inuyasha sighed loudly. "You have to come back to work."

"I don't want to…" Kagome said stiffly. "I don't like it there."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and pushed himself up from the lockers. "I figured you'd be difficult. Look, I know Sango's sorry for being so rude yesterday… and my mom needs you to come back because we need another phone girl."

"I don't care what you need." Kagome spat. "You're a jerk!"

Inuyasha's ears flattened slightly as she said the last part. "Hey! I'm not a jerk! I just serve justice!" He shouted as Kagome turned her back to him.

'Serve justice?' Kagome mouthed in disbelief. "So, the way you treated me was fair and something I, Higurashi Kagome who has never so much as _looked_ at you before I applied there, deserved?" She asked, turning around to him once more a few feet from her locker.

Inuyasha nodded and walked up to her, closing the distance between them. "You mistreated Kikyou. That's why Sango and I can't stand you."

Kagome sighed. "I know that's why. I didn't ask you that. I asked why I _deserved_ to be treated so horribly."

Inuyasha blinked a few times. "Because of how you treated her…" He murmured.

Kagome nodded. "Right… and what all did I do to the precious Kikyou? I'm sure you don't even know."

"I do know!" Inuyasha shouted. "Listen, we're not gonna get into this. I don't want to like you, understood? I don't want to talk everything out and try to make nice with some mannequin like you! So, look, just come back to work… make everyone else on the planet happy and get my mom off my ass!"

"Mannequin?" Kagome asked aloud. She pursed her lips, then nodded and turned away from him.

"Does that mean you're coming back?" Inuyasha asked.

"I owe you no favors…" Kagome said, not bothering to turn and face him as she stepped away.

"Hey!" Inuyasha shouted, reaching out to grab her arm.

"Hey…" Kagome said just as he began to pull her back to him. She gasped noticing a fist flying from over her shoulder and landing square in Inuyasha's face. Kagome slammed herself against the lockers as Inuyasha landed on the ground in front of her.

"Get the FUCK away from my girl, half breed! What did you think you were trying to do?!" Kagome turned to the sound of the familiar voice beside her to find Kouga standing over Inuyasha, glaring daggers at the fallen hanyou.

Inuyasha groaned and lifted his head. His nose had bled a little, but the rest of his face seemed okay.

"I wouldn't want anything to do with her, wolf…" Inuyasha muttered, wiping the blood from his nose with the sleeve of his shirt. Just as he began to stand, Kouga punched him in the stomach, sending him on the floor once more.

"You're lucky you even get to look at someone like Kagome! Fucking ungrateful half breed. I can't believe they'd let something like you in here. How path-"

"SHUT UP!"

Inuyasha and Kouga both whipped their heads around to find Kagome rushing to the ground beside Inuyasha.

"Kouga? What is your problem?!" She asked sharply.

"What do you mean? I was protecting you, Kagome! You should be thanking me… This half demon thought he could put his hands on you…" Kouga said, crossing his arms.

Kagome shook her head, turning back to Inuyasha who merely held a look of utter surprise.

"He was grabbing my arm…" She said flatly.

"And you were running away from him." Kouga retorted.

"Because we were arguing!" Kagome shouted, growing angry with him.

"Well, from where I was standing, it looked more like he was going to pin you up against the lockers and molest you." Kouga said matter-of-factly.

Kagome chortled. "I think you're more likely to do that to me than he is…" She mumbled.

"Why you little…" Kouga started.

"Go away…" She said through clenched teeth.

"What?" Kouga asked.

"Go AWAY!" Kagome shouted. Kouga let out a huff before turning on his heel and walking away from the couple.

Kagome took a deep breath and knelt down beside Inuyasha once she was certain the wolf demon was out of sight. She knew after this she'd receive at least fifty phone calls from him begging her to take him back. She knew why.

"I don't need…" He started.

"I don't care." Kagome interrupted. "Your nose is still bleeding…" She said, standing up to grab a handkerchief from her locker. She turned back to the boy beside her and knelt down to hand it to him. Inuyasha took the cloth from her and wiped his nose with it.

"Does anything else hurt?" She asked. Inuyasha shook his head, glancing at her.

"Why did you do that?" He asked as the girl beside him stood up once more and held out a hand to help him stand.

"I just did. I didn't want to see you get beat up. And I didn't want to hear my boyfriend say 'half breed' anymore." Inuyasha nodded, taking her hand and standing.

"So…" Inuyasha started, but just as soon as he picked his head to make eye contact with Kagome, she was gone on her way to her next class. "Keh!" He looked down at the handkerchief in his hand and stashed it in his pocket, turning in the other direction.

--

Inuyasha sat down at his usual lunch table beside a solemn looking Sango.

"Where's Kikyou?" The girl mumbled, noticing Inuyasha's presence.

"I don't know…" He said softly.

"Did you apologize to Kagome?" Sango asked, taking a bite of her food.

"I guess…" Inuyasha muttered. "I talked to her. Then Kouga showed up and punched me and Kagome got all defensive…" Inuyasha trailed off, looking down at the food on his tray. He wasn't hungry suddenly. He was upset for whatever reason. "Why do you hate her?" Inuyasha asked. Sango turned to him, cocking her head to the side.

"Hate Kagome?" She asked.

"I mean, Kikyou's got her billion issues with the girl, but what's your beef with her?" Inuyasha asked.

Sango sighed, looking down at the table before her. "I guess I was just a little upset that the school treats her as if she's been through such a rough time. She lost her father. People like Kikyou and I, we've lost everything. When we were in elementary school and Kagome's father had died, the whole school felt so sorry for her. Even teachers…" Sango's eyes drooped in sadness as she continued. "But when Kohaku and my father died… no one cared. Then when I met Kikyou, she had all these existing issues with Kagome. So, I figured we'd hit it off… and we did. Most of what I feel for Kagome was Kikyou-induced…" She continued to stare at the table.

"Why are you being so weird?" Inuyasha asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"You're all mopey! You're never mopey."

Sango scoffed. "I just felt bad last night when Kagome ran away. But look who's talking! You're just as mopey as I am!"

"Keh! I ain't soft like you! Her standing up to Kouga for me isn't gonna change the way I feel…" Inuyasha said loudly, more to himself than Sango.

"Hey…" They heard a soft voice and looked up to see Kikyou standing before them.

"Where have you been?" Inuyasha asked as Kikyou sat down across from them.

"Nurse's office…" Kikyou said quietly.

"Are you okay?" Sango asked. Kikyou spent numerous hours in the nurse's office. Nine times out of ten she was just trying to find a way to leave school. Only once had it ever actually been serious.

"I just had a really bad head ache." Kikyou said, holding her head. "How was Kagome last night?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Eh…" Inuyasha and Sango said simultaneously.

"Eh?" Kikyou raised an eyebrow incredulously at the two across from her.

"We sort of upset her." Sango finally said. "She just always seems to fiery, but yesterday… she just left."

Kikyou smiled. "Hah! Was she crying?"

Inuyasha and Sango both just looked at her with blank expressions on their face.

"What's wrong with you guys?!" Kikyou asked.

Sango sighed and stood from the table. "I need to get to class." She mumbled, throwing her tray away and walking into the hallway.

Kikyou watched the girl walk off before turning her brown eyes to Inuyasha. "And you?" She snapped.

"Must be something in the air today…" He muttered, catching a glimpse of Kagome from the corner of his eye. She was sitting in her usual gaggle of friends…staring at the table while they appeared to be eagerly discussing something. He didn't miss the fact that Kouga was missing from the picture before him.

He saw her brown eyes lift up from the table and lock onto his amber ones before she quickly averted her gaze elsewhere.

Inuyasha inwardly groaned. 'What the hell?' He asked himself, turning his full attention back to Kikyou.

--

Inuyasha pulled the door open as he approached Taisho's. He spotted Miroku and Rin behind the counter at the front of the store.

"What are you doing here?" Inuyasha asked the man.

Rin smiled. "Miroku-sama was helping me put the take out menus together."

Miroku nodded. "It was very slow over there today. I had come over for a slice of pizza when I saw poor little Rin here trying to put together all the menus in the box."

"Well aren't you just so helpful…" Inuyasha said dryly. "You might as well go back, Sango's not coming in today."

"What? Why not?" Miroku asked.

"She doesn't work Thursdays…" Inuyasha mumbled.

Miroku sighed dejectedly. "Well, I'll be off. I'm sure you guys can handle it from here…"

"Bye! Thank you for all your help, Miroku-sama!" Rin exclaimed happily.

Inuyasha walked off into the kitchen to grab an apron. As he passed the bathroom, he saw the door open and crashed into the body emerging from it.

"I'm sorry. I really should watch where I'm walk…." The girl that had crashed into him began before looking up at just who she bumped into. Inuyasha looked down shocked to see it was Kagome that had crashed into him. Her long black hair was tied back in two pigtails and she was wearing yet another "Taisho's Girl" shirt. Only one that didn't leave so much hanging out.

"What are you doing here?" Inuyasha asked, stepping away from her.

Kagome sighed and folded her arms under her chest. "I just…" She bit her bottom lip before continuing. "I didn't want to deal with Kouga calling me every twenty minutes tonight and for some reason took all this pity on you after what happened today. You definitely don't deserve any of it! But… alas…" She threw her arms up in the air. "Here I am…"

Inuyasha nodded curtly. "Well, good." He said stiffly walking past her and into the kitchen.

Kagome nodded, marching back to the front desk.

"Yeah… good…"

--

"O-hayou!" Kagome's zoology class stood and bowed as their teacher entered the room the following morning. She was a tall woman with long black hair and big beautiful brown eyes covered with thin-framed glasses. She always wore a lab coat to boast her proficiency to her students and colleagues.

"O-hayou, class… Happy Friday." She spoke softly as the class took their seats. "Alright, well today we will all be partaking in our first lab. As you know, I paired you all up with some one last week. So, today, you will all be working with whoever that person was. Okay? Now, I was criticized for possibly bringing on this challenge too early in the semester, but I have a strong feeling about you all. So…" She started, making her way over to a bin in the corner of the room. She removed the lid and released a fowl-smelling vapor into the air.

"We'll be dissecting frogs this morning, class."

Kagome turned her head to face Inuyasha who sat beside her, seeming grumpy as he always did.

The teacher began passing out tool kits and frogs to each pairing in the class. As Kagome and Inuyasha received theirs, Kagome dug right into the project.

"Okay…" She said aloud, looking over the paper. "Looks like we have to first cut in the shape of a capital "I"… then open it up from there…" She reached over, not even looking up to hand Inuyasha the scalpel.

"What you expect me to do your dirty work for you?" He asked gruffly.

Kagome sighed, expecting her heroic act the day before wouldn't change his feelings toward her. "What are you talking about?"

"Are you too lazy to do this assignment?" Inuyasha spat. "You want me to do it for you just like all the other guys in school would?"

Kagome shifted her eyes around the room. "What is wrong with you?" She asked, still confused by his behavior. "I just figured you'd get more joy out of cutting the frog open while I answer all the questions on the lab report… If you want to switch positions, though, it's no skin off my back." Kagome replied, annoyed as she turned her focus to the paper. Inuyasha bitterly snatched the scalpel from her hands and cut into the frog.

"Okay, once you get it open, we need to locate the heart…" Kagome said, continuing down the paper. She looked up to see Inuyasha had cut the frog in the shape of an "H".

"Ahh!" She screamed, snatching the frog from him. "You idiot! What did you do?!"

"You told me to cut it like that!" Inuyasha barked at her. "Don't call me an idiot, you're the one that doesn't know how to explain things!"

Kagome held up the frog in front of his face. "I told you to cut in the shape of a capital "I". This is an "H"!"

Inuyasha let out a "hmph" before crossing his arms over his chest. "Well I don't know the roman alphabet all that well…"

"Now I'm going to fail this stupid lab report…" Kagome groaned. "It's all your fault…" She sighed, laying her head on the table.

"You won't fail…" Inuyasha started noticing Kagome hadn't lifted her head. "Hey! I said you won't fail." He lifted open one of the flaps he cut in the frog. "Look, we can still see all the same organs. Come on, Kagome!"

Kagome took in a deep breath picking up her head. "I'm doomed…" She mumbled watching as he demonstrated how useful their unorthodox flaps would be.

"Well just ask her for a new frog, then. You can blame it on me." Inuyasha mumbled.

"I can blame it on you? Oh how selfless of you, Inuyasha… considering it's your fault!"

Inuyasha flattened his ears and turned his nose up away from her.

Kagome ran a hand down her face in irritation. "Fine. We can just work with our frog. Now… find the heart."

--

AN: I'm recovering from my team's horrible loss at the SuperBowl… Anyway, Inuyasha may be turning around… Kagome may be dumping Kouga… Sango may be nice to her after all… This is a big maybe chapter haha.

Oh and I apologize. Punkette Kagome brought it to my attention that there is a typo in the previous chapter. Somewhere instead of 'shirt', I wrote 'shit'. A thousand apologies. I know I reread it at two that morning.

Please review! I love to know what you guys think!

Love Always,

Patche


	5. The Cursed

I Stole Your Soul

**By: **Patche

**Disclaimer: **I, Patche, do not own Inuyasha, any of its characters or the lyrics to "This Is Twice Now" by Lydia (which will never be used in the story, but were great inspiration for the story)

**Chapter Four: The Cursed**

--

"Where is everyone?" Kagome asked, walking into the shop and seeing only a young Rin at the counter. It was a Saturday morning. Not the busiest time of day, but Kagome still hadn't expected to be the only one working alongside Rin.

"Inuyasha and Sango won't be in until the evening shift. So, for right now, it's just you, me, and Izayoi!" Rin said smiling. "And possibly Miroku if things are slow next door."

Kagome nodded. "I wonder, isn't it concerning that his salon is always so slow?"

Rin shrugged. Looking around to see if Izayoi was near, she hushed her voice. "I think he lies. He only comes over here to see Sango."

Kagome raised an eyebrow curiously. "Oh?" She asked, tilting her head. "He's fond of Sango, then?"

Rin nodded. "I mean, Miroku flirts with everyone. He's always been like that. But, he just has a way with Sango." Kagome pondered this, remembering the one interaction between the two she'd actually witnessed. "You wouldn't really know. You've never seen them together. But he just acts… different." Rin gasped and clapped her hands together. "Like this one time! Sango was working and Miroku was in just grabbing a thing of pizza. He was standing across from her and just giving her a hard time like he always did. Then this guy, Kuranosuke, came in. Apparently, this kid was in one of Sango's classes and she recognized him and _they_ started talking leaving Miroku out of the loop…"

Kagome nodded, setting her purse on a nearby table, entranced by Rin's story.

"He kind of just hung back pouting a little while they talked. But then Kuranosuke asked Sango out on a date… and before she could even answer the guy Miroku stormed out without a word!"

"Oh my goodness…" Kagome said, sitting down at the table.

"Yeah. I think it's only getting worse, too. I mean, Miroku hasn't had a serious girlfriend… ever? And Sango's always been way too busy to date any boys. I think they'd be the perfect pair!" Rin squealed.

Kagome nodded, smiling. "I guess. I don't really know Sango well enough, but I think Miroku deserves to be happy."

"Oh, Sango's nice once you get to know her. I think she's just really really loyal to her friends. I'm sure you two can become friends." Rin said smiling.

'So optimistic…' Kagome thought dryly. "That would be great."

"And if you could befriend Inuyasha, then maybe the curse on the restaurant would be broken!" Rin shouted excitedly. Once she realized the words that had escaped her mouth, she quickly clasped a hand over her lips.

"What?" Kagome asked, turning in Rin's direction. "What curse?"

Rin shook her head violently. "No…nothing… no curse…" She mumbled.

"Rin, what are you-" Kagome started but was interrupted by the chime of the door bell.

"Hello ladies!" Rin and Kagome turned as the door opened to reveal the man of their conversation.

"Miroku-sama! We aren't even open yet!" Rin shouted, gesturing to the lights that had remained off.

"Not a problem…" Miroku started, pulling out a chair from the table Kagome was sitting at and seating himself beside her. "I'd love to chat with you two." He said cheerfully.

Rin sighed. "Well, actually, one of us is going to have to leave soon. Sesshoumaru-sama gave me this list of things we need at the grocery store. Maybe you and Kagome could run up there for me?"

Miroku nodded. "I'd be happy to escort this lovely lady to the store."

Kagome frowned. "Rin, why doesn't Sesshoumaru ever… work?" She asked curiously.

Miroku cleared his throat before Rin could speak. "It's a rather complicated story, but to put everything simply, Sesshoumaru hates Inuyasha and his mother. Thus, he does everything in his power to avoid contact with them. Rin is kind of like his… messenger."

Kagome raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "He hates his brother and his mother?"

Miroku held up a finger. "Half brother and _step_mother."

Rin pulled open the drawer behind the counter and pulled out a sheet of paper, carrying it over to Kagome and Miroku's table.

"Alright... here's everything we need…" Rin said, pointing to the list.

"Let's go, then… Shall we?" Miroku asked, standing from his seat and holding his arm out to Kagome.

--

"Okay let's start with… milk…" Miroku said cheerfully as they strode down the aisles of the grocery store.

"Miroku…" Kagome started.

"Hmm?" Miroku asked as he pushed the empty cart toward the coolers.

"When Rin was talking to me this morning… She mentioned something about a curse…"

Miroku froze.

"Is there such a thing on the restaurant?"

He felt his eyebrow twitch in irritation. 'Stupid girl…'

He covered it up with a fake laugh. "Kagome, you should know Rin is only in middle school. You know how middle school girls are… always making up fantasy stories and such… Obsessing over nothing…"

"Yeah, no, Miroku. I'm not that gullible." Kagome said flatly.

Miroku let out a huff and stopped the cart, turning to face Kagome. "What did she tell you?" He asked, his face serious.

"She said that if I became friends with Inuyasha then maybe the curse would be lifted…"

Miroku sighed. "She really needs a lesson in keeping her mouth shut. I swear, Sesshoumaru made the worse mistake in hiring that girl…"

Kagome gasped. "So, there is such a thing?"

Miroku waved her off and turned back to the cart, preparing to push it once again. "It's not really a curse so much. It's more of a legend and excuse for all the bad that has happened to certain people that work at Taisho's." He turned behind him to see Kagome urging him on with an expression. "It's a really long story, Kagome. I doubt you'd be interested…"

Kagome darted over to his side. "Nonsense! I love stories!" She shouted. "Tell me!"

Miroku huffed. "Fine… but we're going to shop while I talk… I don't want everyone to hear it." He murmured looking around. "Have you ever heard of the witch, Tsubaki?" He asked.

"No." She said shaking her head as they passed by the milk. Kagome grabbed a gallon of it and placed it in the cart.

Miroku waited for her to return to his side before continuing. "Well, there was once a woman named Tsubaki. She was a witch of sorts. At least, she claimed to have dabbled in paranormal affairs and altering the fates and whatnot."

Kagome nodded, grabbing a thing of butter as they passed it.

"Well, maybe I started from the wrong part. You see, Taisho's was opened twenty years ago by Inuyasha's father. Inuyasha's father already had one son, Sesshoumaru, who you met. Sesshoumaru was the son of two dog demons and is… a full dog demon. Well, Inuyasha's father and Sesshoumaru's mother ended up in some bitter split and have yet to speak to each other. Sesshoumaru was at least sixteen before Taisho's was opened.

"He and his father ran the shop for the first year all on their own. Sesshoumaru just helped out in the kitchen while his father worked the phones and took orders and dealt with the monetary issues. By the second year, Taisho's had become so popular that they ended up requiring additional help. So, Inuyasha's father began posting signs for cooks to apply. Soon afterward, a beautiful woman stumbled in to apply and was given the job instantly.

Her name was Izayoi and she was merely a human, however, Inuyasha's demon father was smitten and Sesshoumaru was repulsed by his father's weakness. Sesshoumaru told his father that if he were to elope with a human, Sesshoumaru would never speak to him again.

His father didn't think much of his threat and went ahead and replaced Sesshoumaru with Izayoi. Within the next year, Izayoi had become pregnant…"

"Oh how sweet." Kagome said, smiling.

"Not quite…" Miroku mumbled, grabbing a can of mushrooms as they passed them. "Anyway, as Izayoi became more and more pregnant, Inuyasha's father eventually had to let her stay home and had to rehire again for a cook. This time, a woman by the name of Tsubaki applied and received the position, knowing it was only a temporary fill for Izayoi's job.

This Tsubaki didn't mind, however. And in the next few months of her working with Inuyasha's father, she began to feel a deep connection with the man and even began to doubt that Izayoi actually existed… or she seemed to forget, anyway.

One day, the two were working together and somehow… someway… Tsubaki's lips wound up crashing onto Inuyasha's father's. The man was outraged, telling Tsubaki that she knew he had a wife and she knew he wouldn't leave her for the world. Tsubaki just sneered and told him that the woman sitting at home carrying his baby couldn't possibly love him as much as she did.

Inuyasha's father ordered Tsubaki from the restaurant and felt a little betrayed considering he thought he had found a friend.

Then one day, after Inuyasha was born, Tsubaki appeared at the restaurant. She glowered down at the happy family before her and set a curse on them. I don't remember the exact words, but it was something along the lines of her stripping everything that mattered from Inuyasha's father so he could truly understand how she felt. He would be cursed with a broken heart just as she was. The restaurant was then cursed to bring in only the broken souls of the world to surround the family with and remind them how much more they had to lose.

Then she turned to the newly born hanyou and just shook her head. She said that if this hanyou can ever _truly_ be accepted as a hanyou, the curse would be lifted. However, that day would never come.

And then she disappeared… And no one ever heard from her again…"

"Wow…" Kagome said.

"Nothing had actually happened for the first couple years. Inuyasha's father had been a little over-protective of his family directly after the curse was bestowed upon them, but once Inuyasha was five, they all had forgotten about Tsubaki.

Then one night… Inuyasha and Izayoi were walking through the streets of Tokyo. Inuyasha was nine. A man appeared out of nowhere and held a gun to Izayoi's head. He had no motive. He didn't ask for money. He didn't ask for anything. He only told the woman to say her prayers because she was done.

Inuyasha tried to attack the man, but was startled by the gun firing in his direction. Just as the man placed his hand on the trigger to shoot Izayoi down, Inuyasha's father appeared and pushed his wife and his son to safety, but was shot in the process… fatally shot."

Kagome gasped, holding a hand up to her mouth. "Oh my gosh…"

"Izayoi believes that because the man had no motive, he must have been acting on the curse." Miroku finished.

"So what about the others? The broken souls? And why is Sesshoumaru back?" She asked.

"Ahh… yes…" Miroku said, grabbing a bushel of tomatoes. "The broken souls would be everyone that works alongside you… including yourself. Anyone that knows how it feels to lose someone they loved is always available to work at Taisho's."

"I don't understand…" Kagome started.

"Rin is an orphan. She was found by Sesshoumaru a few blocks away from Taisho's one night on his way home. He didn't know what happened to the girl, but she was unconscious and her clothes had been ripped. When she finally came to, she informed Sesshoumaru that her mother and father had both been killed earlier that week and her house had been burned to the ground. She had managed to walk all the way from another town…"

"But how is that possible?" Kagome asked. "How could a little girl walk that far?"

Miroku held up a finger. "Destiny, Kagome. The Gods of fate can twist the laws of physics… they can alter everything. And Tsubaki persuaded them to do so.

Sango lost her father and her brother in a car accident. Her father was driving, her brother was in the back seat and she was in the passenger seat. As they pulled through an intersection, a car ran the red light. Sango swears up and down the car had been stopped and just went as soon as he saw them. The car plowed into the passenger-side door… and yet… Sango is alive and her brother and father are not. Sango walked away with no injuries."

Kagome stared in disbelief.

"And you, Kagome… you are here because your father died when you were but a little girl."

"Yes, but it wasn't one of those freakishly impossible scenarios. He overdosed on heroin." Kagome said weakly.

"Isn't it strange, though, considering the man had preached living a clean lifestyle the entire time he was famous? Then one day he tries heroin and dies?" Miroku asked, as they pulled up to the checkout.

Kagome sighed gloomily. "It isn't a strange coincidence. My father was stupid to do something like that. He should have known it could kill him."

Miroku shrugged. "It's just the way things go sometimes. At least it brought you here." He said smiling.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "I think you're the only person that would say that."

Miroku nodded. "Well, not for too much longer…"

"What?" Kagome asked.

"Nothing. I just have a hunch that things might be turning around for you now that you know your coworkers a little better…"

Kagome gasped. "Wait…" She said as they grabbed their bags and headed out the store. "The thing about someone accepting Inuyasha, shouldn't the curse be broken?"

"Why would it be broken?" Miroku asked exiting the store.

"Inuyasha's probably more accepted than I am! I mean, he has a girlfriend that loves him and friends like you and Sango… Don't you all love him as a hanyou?"

Miroku shrugged. "Well, yes, of course. But it isn't about loving him, Kagome. He must be truly accepted as one… whatever that means. It could mean there's a specific person that needs to accept him or that it won't be broken until the whole world accepts him. Who knows?" Miroku shrugged, walking down the street and heading back to Taisho's.

"So, what about you?" Kagome asked keeping in step with him.

"What about me?" He asked.

"Well, don't you have some tragedy that's befallen you?"

Miroku nodded slowly. "Yes…" He said softly.

Kagome blinked. "What is it?" She asked softly, slowing her walk.

"My father died a few years ago… he had brain cancer."

Kagome gasped. "Miroku, I'm-"

"Don't apologize." Miroku said sharply, continuing to walk ahead of her. "I don't want you to feel bad for me for losing him. It is just how things were meant to be…" He murmured, leaving Kagome a few steps behind him.

--

That evening, once the rest of the crew had arrived, Sango noticed how much Kagome and Miroku seemed to be goofing around with each other.

"They seem to be getting along…" She said, crossing her arms as she approached Inuyasha, who was watching the same scene unfold. Kagome and Miroku were standing at the counter quoting every line from an old comedy.

"You jealous?" Inuyasha asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking at the girl beside him.

Sango's cheeks turned furiously red.

"No, are you?" She asked, nudging him.

"Keh! Hell no!" He shouted, turning away from her and walking off into the kitchen.

Miroku smiled and grabbed Kagome's hand in his. "Well, mon cherre. I'm afraid I need to return to the salon. It's been a pleasure…" He murmured, placing a soft kiss on Kagome's hand.

"You're so weird…" She murmured.

Miroku spotted Sango watching them from the entrance to the kitchen. "And my delightful Sango!" He shouted, rushing toward her.

"Do be gentle with her…" He whispered once he made his way over to the girl. He gave her a smile and a light pat on her bottom before turning around and receiving a slap upside the head.

"Keep your hands OFF!" She shouted.

"Of course, dearest…" He laughed and ran from the restaurant.

Kagome sighed watching him leave and sat down in a chair beside the phone as Sango slowly approached her.

"Kagome…" She said softly.

Kagome looked up at the girl, stunned to hear her not only call her by her first name, but to hear her speak so… kindly.

"What is it?" Kagome asked in a friendly tone.

"Can I ask you something?" Sango asked, sitting on the counter across from Kagome.

"Of course." Kagome sat up in her chair. "What's up?" She asked.

"Do you… like Miroku?" Sango asked cautiously.

'Do I like him?' Kagome thought. She instantly began to laugh at the very thought of Miroku and her.

"Oh my gosh, no!" She said in between laughs. "Why?"

Sango sat up straight, slightly offended by Kagome's laughter. "Well, I was just wondering since you two are always hanging around each other!" Sango defended herself.

" Look, I totally don't like him… like that, anyway. And it's rather obvious that you do. If you want… I could help you two out…" Kagome said smiling.

Sango huffed and looked away before tilting her head to the side as if to consider Kagome's offer. "You… could?" She asked.

Kagome nodded. "Free of charge, too." She said smiling.

"You'd really do that for me?" Sango asked.

"Well, sure…" Kagome stood from her chair. "You seem like you deserve a little happiness, Sango-chan."

At first, Sango felt that she was being mocked, but noticing the genuine smile plastered on the girl's face, she felt assured.

"Well… okay… what do you have in mind?" She asked softly.

Inuyasha grumbled at the exchange between his best friend and her "worst enemy".

'Kagome may have won Sango over. But she sure as hell isn't infectious enough to get to me…' He thought, crossing his arms and grunting in disgust.

--

_ He blinked, staring at the girl before him._

_ 'She kissed me… She kissed my cheek…' He thought over and over in his head. He couldn't help his cheeks heating up and couldn't help that his heart was racing. 'She called me brave.' He thought, inwardly smiling. _

_ 'Does this mean she likes me or something? She actually likes something like me? A hanyou?' Inuyasha thought remembering the names his classmates called him so often._

_ 'Wait, I'm not a half demon right now. It's my human night… She wouldn't know.' He glanced toward the sky. 'But I have to get out of here before I change… and she sees me… and screams for her life. I don't think I could bare it.'_

_ "Good… Goodnight." He stuttered, rushing away from the girl. _

_ 'A girl… wow…' He thought happily as he ran back to his home._

Inuyasha grumbled, wiping his hand down his face. 'I went back to that shrine a thousand times… but no one was ever there…'

He blinked, taking in his surroundings. He was at work. He'd fallen asleep on one of the tables… and he had been left all to himself.

'What the hell? Useless coworkers…' He grumbled, lifting his head to glance at the clock. It was eleven fifty. 'Good, we're about to close…'

"Oh, good… You're awake." He heard Kagome's voice from behind him. "I'm sorry, there weren't any orders. I would have woken you up otherwise…"

Inuyasha turned to her, scratching his head.

"They let you close?" He asked groggily.

Kagome nodded. "Well, I'm sort of under your… very attentive supervision right now."

"Keh!" Inuyasha grumbled, laying his head down on the table. "The place hasn't burned down yet. Waking up was unnecessary…" He murmured closing his eyes.

"Whatever you say…" Kagome said, walking off to the front.

Inuyasha's nose twitched at the scent that entered his nostrils as she walked past him. It was chocolate… and banana?

Inuyasha sat up to see Kagome was holding a carton of ice cream in her hand.

"What are you eating?" He asked rudely.

Kagome turned to him, the spoon in her mouth. "Oh…" She said, removing the eating utensil. "Rin brought me some Sakura's before she went home. She got my favorite."

"Your favorite?" Inuyasha asked.

"Yeah. Sakura's is the only place that makes it. I always get chocolate with banana chunks thrown in. It's the best." She said smiling.

'Oh please! Like banana chocolate is some rare thing for taste buds to enjoy! I'm sure it's not her. It can't be her…'

Kagome scoffed at the strange look he was giving her. "Whatever, I'm sure you eat things the rest of the world finds disgusting, too…"

--

AN: So, this chapter… was hardly filled with anything but useless facts haha. I know some of you might be concerned about Inuyasha and the banana ice cream thing coming up too soon… no worries. I know what I'm doing. Anywho, sorry this update took a while. I've been busy with my non-life.

Funny tidbit about this chapter… I had to read a bunch of Miroku and Kagome fanfics to get an idea of how I wanted to write this. I felt like such a traitor.

Please review! I love to know what you guys think!

Love Always,

Patche


	6. On A Mission

I Stole Your Soul

**By: **Patche

**Disclaimer: **I, Patche, do not own Inuyasha, any of its characters or the lyrics to "This Is Twice Now" by Lydia (which will never be used in the story, but were great inspiration for the story)

**Chapter Six: On a Mission**

--

"So, wait, you want me to hit on _Sango_? Won't she attack me?"

Kagome sighed and shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose as she tried her best to explain her plan to one of the boys in her class. His name was Kuro and he was a good friend of Kouga's. Kuro wasn't unfortunate looking and did have the eye of almost every girl in school. And though he was currently single, Kuro had his eye on Kagome's good friend Ayumi.

"She won't attack you. All you have to do is come to Taisho's and call her cute… or anything, really. Just make it seem like you like her, but make sure that a guy with short black hair is watching."

"And if I do all this you'll promise to set up a double date for me and Ayumi?" Kuro asked.

Kagome smiled and nodded. "You have my word." She said shaking his hand.

"Speaking of, are you and Kouga even together anymore?" He asked as their hands parted.

Kagome shrugged. "He called me nonstop after that day I defended Inuyasha, but I haven't talked to him since."

Kuro's eyes widened. "Wow… So, then how is this going to work with you and Kouga not even talking?"

Kagome smiled. "I'll find somebody. Don't you worry." She said patting him on the back. Kuro smirked in response to her and walked off in the other direction down the hall.

Kagome sighed and slumped against her locker.

"Hey!" She heard a gruff voice call out.

Kagome whipped her head around to face the half demon stomping toward her.

"What?" She breathed out, pushing herself off the locker.

"Geez. What's wrong with you?" Inuyasha asked noticing her exhausted expression.

"I haven't slept… I've been working on that stupid play for my drama club and… I agreed to help Sango get Miroku and have to get Kuro to help and Kuro needs me to help him, so I somehow have to figure out how I'm going to go on this double date with him and Ayumi when I'm not even on speaking terms with my own boyfriend!" Kagome took a deep breath and grabbed her head. "Not that you'd care about any of this…" She mumbled.

Inuyasha blinked.

"Did you type up the lab report?" Kagome asked.

"Uhh… well, that's sort of the issue…" Inuyasha started.

Kagome hung her head and didn't bother to face him as she spoke. "Tell me you have the lab report typed, Inuyasha. Tell me it's in your hand…"

Inuyasha flattened his ears, preparing for whatever noises would erupt from the girl before him once he spoke.

"My computer got a virus…"

Kagome winced, biting her lip. "Please be kidding…" She felt her nose begin to sting. Oh this was grand. She was about to cry over all of this? 'This is what I get for not sleeping…' Kagome thought, closing her eyes.

"Oh God! Don't cry! Kagome, look, it's not that big a deal! We can just go to the library before class…"

"And what? Type up the ten pages of lab report?! Inuyasha! That'll take way too long! Ugh…" Kagome leaned against the lockers again and held her hands up to her face.

"I told you not to cry, woman!" Inuyasha shouted as the salt of her tears filled his nostrils. "Kagome, please… Just calm down."

Kagome looked up at him from her hands, her face red and her eyes watery.

"The whole school's going to see you like this and they'll think it's my fault…" Inuyasha seethed.

"DO YOU THINK I CARE WHAT THE SCHOOL THINKS OF _YOU_?!" Kagome shouted. "I trusted you to type up the lab report. That's all you had to do!"

"And my computer decided to fuck it all up for me! I don't see how this is my fault!" Inuyasha shouted.

"If your computer had a virus, why didn't you tell me Saturday or Sunday when we were working together so I could take the report from you and type it up myself?!"

Inuyasha flattened his ears again and averted his eyes. "Well, I didn't know my computer had a virus until this morning… when I went to type it up…"

Kagome huffed, snatching the hand-written lab report from him and turned on her heel, heading toward the library.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Inuyasha barked.

"I'm going to skip class so I can go print out this lab report to save our grades." Kagome said, not bothering to turn and face him.

Inuyasha scoffed and walked in step behind her. "Why don't you just tell Kuwoshima-sensei that it's my fault?"

Kagome sighed. "Because pointing fingers doesn't solve the problem, it just takes the responsibility off your shoulders. Besides, you're the one that did all the dissecting. You deserve some credit even if your computer bailed on us…"

Inuyasha blinked in disbelief as Kagome spoke.

"Why are you so helpful?" He growled catching up to her.

"I think that has to be the weirdest thing to say in such a tone…" Kagome mused.

"I'm serious! You know I don't like you! Why do you even care what happens to me?!"

"What are you talking about?" Kagome asked, keeping her eyes on the hallway ahead of them.

"Well first you get into that huge fight with your boyfriend because he picked on me, now you're doing the work I was supposed to do on the lab report to salvage _my_ grade? Why?"

Kagome glared at him through the corner of her eye. "I don't think you're such a bad person… no matter what kind of façade you use."

Inuyasha huffed. "What would you know? You don't even know me!"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'm just racking up karma points. Does that sound a little better to you?" She asked, walking ahead of him. "Why are you still following me to the library?"

"Because, oh selfless one, I'm not going to let you make me out to be the bad guy here. I know that's what you're after. You're just going to clean up my mess and be revered as the hero! Well, I'm just as capable of skipping class as you, Kagome, and I'm not going to let you hog up all the glory…"

Kagome laughed. "There's no glory to hog! Inuyasha, if you're cleaning up your own mess, no one will look as you as the hero." Kagome said as they arrived at the library. She opened the tall glass door and held it open long enough for Inuyasha to grab.

"I bet you just wanted to get out of class!" Inuyasha said receiving a nasty look from the woman behind the "Student Service" counter. He hushed his voice. "Let me guess… it's physics…"

Kagome shook her head.

"Trigonometry…"

Kagome sighed and found herself a computer to sit at. She moved the mouse to bring the screen back to life and sat down the in the chair as Inuyasha crawled into the chair beside her.

"Gym?"

"Quit guessing. It has nothing to do with what class I'm missing. Conveniently, it's a rather unimportant class. My absence won't mean much to my grade." Kagome said, opening her word program.

"So, what's this problem you're having with this date?" Inuyasha asked, changing the subject.

"Date?" Kagome asked, her eyes fixed on the screen.

"The one with that Kuro guy…"

"Oh, how did you know about that?" Kagome asked, turning to face him. Inuyasha felt his eyebrow twitch in irritation.

"You mentioned it during your rant earlier in the hallway."

Kagome chuckled. "Oh, sorry. I'm not used to people actually listening when I have those…"

"So, what about it?"

"I just agreed to help Kuro get together with Ayumi… so, I told him I'd go on a double date with them. The problem is, I'm not with Kouga… So I'll have to find someone else to come with me."

"Keh! You say that like it'll be a problem to find some guy to go with you…"

"Well, why wouldn't it be?" Kagome asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well… you know… I mean, lots of guys in school like you."

Kagome sighed. "It's not that, though. I have to find someone that would understand the terms of the date and wouldn't look more into it. I'd need a guy friend, sort of. The only problem is the only male friends I have are Kuro, all of Kouga's friends, and Jakotsu…"

Inuyasha shuddered at the last name.

"And Miroku, but… I can't ask him. Sango might think that I'm betraying her… which I'm not…"

"Keh! Why do you care what she thinks? It's not like she even likes you, you know!" Inuyasha barked.

Kagome sighed and began typing up the lab report. "I know, but it doesn't hurt to just be courteous to other people regardless of how they feel about you, you know?"

"Like tip-toeing over everyone's feelings?" Inuyasha asked, crossing his arms.

"More like avoiding unnecessary conflict…" Kagome murmured, still typing away. Inuyasha eyed her incredulously before letting out a scoff and turning his eyes to the computer screen.

--

"Hey mom…" Inuyasha mumbled as he opened the door to their apartment after work. He had to close, as he often did. His mother usually left after eight, but Inuyasha would stay until midnight most nights. He sighed, tossing his jacket over the counter and spotted his mother in the kitchen. "Shouldn't you be in bed?" He asked, walking over to her.

Izayoi smiled. "I can't sleep." She said softly, sitting down at the table with a glass of water.

Inuyasha smirked and sat down across from her.

"How was work?"

"It was boring. Nothing blew up and no customer was unsatisfied… Another successful day…" Inuyasha mumbled.

"What about school? Did your teacher excuse your lab report?" Izayoi asked. "I was really worried about that, especially since it was Kagome's grade, too…" She trailed off.

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah. Kagome typed it up in the library…"

Izayoi smiled. "Well that was nice of her. She wasn't too upset, was she?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "She didn't seem happy. I guess she's kind of overwhelmed with some play and other… crap…"

Izayoi smirked. "Yeah, she was telling me over the weekend about that little fight she and Kouga got into over you."

Inuyasha's ears twitched. "What'd she say?"

Izayoi sighed and slumped back in her chair. "Nothing too important. Just that she felt horrible that she was dating someone that could treat another person like that."

'She wasn't mad that I was even involved?'

Izayoi noticed her son's distant stare and stood up from her chair. "I think I can sleep now. Goodnight, darling." She said softly, placing a light kiss on the top of Inuyasha's head.

"Night, mom…" Inuyasha murmured, still staring at the wooden table before him. What wash e so bothered about anyway? Kagome was Kikyou's worst enemy. Is that what disturbed him so much? He actually thought Kagome was a decent person, but felt he'd be betraying Kikyou if he admitted to that?

It was stupid. It was a stupid internal argument to be having.

But Kagome had saved his ass twice… And all he could say is that he was suspicious of her?

Inuyasha shook his head and stood from his chair, walking off into his bedroom. He sighed as he opened the door and spotted the old necklace handing from his doorknob. He reached out a clawed hand to trace over it.

He looked down at the beads in his hand and frowned. 'I wish I could have found you.'

--

"Miroku, please! I really need you to come on this stupid date with me!" Kagome begged. Miroku sighed and turned to her.

"Kagome, I told you. Our salon has a meeting I have to attend that day. Why can't you take someone else? What about Inuyasha?" Miroku suggested

"Shut up! I'm not going anywhere with her!" Inuyasha shouted from across the restaurant.

"PLEAAAAASSEE!" Kagome whined.

Miroku shook his head. "I really wish I could…"

"There's a customer, guys." Sango said, silencing the two of them as a boy about their age came through the door.

"Hi, welcome to Taisho's…" Sango said cheerfully.

"Hey, you're Sango, huh?" The boy asked, smiling.

'Oh gosh, he is so good…' Kagome thought to herself mentally congratulating herself.

"Umm… I am… Can I help you?" Sango asked uneasily.

"Name's Kuro. We go to school together. I'm actually pretty shocked you don't know me."

'And of course… there's the ego…' Kagome thought.

"I was wondering, you know, I've seen you in the halls and I always think 'Man, she's hella fine…' But I never really approached you because, well, hah, what would my friends think, right?"

"Right…" Sango said flatly.

"So, maybe we could go out?" Kuro asked, flashing her a brilliant smile.

Kagome watched expectantly at the two's exchange, then peered over at Miroku, who was gaping. He seemed anxious to hear Sango's answer.

'Yes!' Kagome inwardly squealed with delight.

"Are you kidding me?! You just insulted me! No!" Sango shouted.

Kuro was taken aback.

"You're not as hot as you think you are, you know!" Sango shouted. "That was the stupidest way to pick up a girl!"

Kuro scoffed and gave Kagome one shrug before running out the door.

Miroku blinked a few times while the rest of the room settled.

Sango sighed loudly. "Gosh… the nerve of that guy!"

Kagome smiled uneasily. "Sango… you want to come in the back with me really quick?"

Sango turned to Kagome. "Umm sure, Kagome."

Kagome nodded and grabbed Sango's hand, dragging her into the bathroom. Locking the door behind them, Kagome turned to Sango.

"Sango! That was the guy!" Kagome seethed. "You were supposed to agree to go on the date to make Miroku jealous!"

Sango blushed in embarrassment. "Oh…" She said softly. "Well, why didn't you give him lines or something? That was the most pathetic attempt to ask a girl out that I've ever heard!"

Kagome sighed. "Well, Kuro's such a hottie, I figured you'd just say yes…" Kagome sighed. "Not because he was a hottie but because you figured out who he was…"

Sango shook her head. "I'm sorry. Well, here… what about Jakotsu? I'm sure he can pretend to be straight for like five minutes, right? And Miroku doesn't know he's gay…"

Kagome shook her head. "Maybe… jealousy isn't the best method?" She asked.

Sango cocked her head to the side. "Miroku actually doesn't seem like the type to get… jealous…" She said softly.

Sango nodded. "I guess. So what are you trying to say?" Kagome opened her mouth to speak as she heard a knocking on the bathroom door.

"Hey Kagome… ummm there's some guy to see you…" It was Miroku's voice.

Kagome sighed. "It's probably Kuro." She said to Sango, opening the door.

"And I'm telling you that I'm not gonna let you see her!"

"Shut up, mutt! She's my woman! What the hell kind of say do you have in this?!"

"She may be your _woman_, but she's my employee! And I say you can't see her!"

"See… she sticks up for you and now you think you, a puny hanyou, can talk down to me?"

"Kouga…" Kagome gasped, noticing the boy standing across the counter from Inuyasha.

Kouga glared at her. "We need to talk, Kagome…"

Kagome crossed her arms over her chest. "About what, Kouga?" She asked.

"Well, that beach house trip is coming up this weekend…" Kouga said with a smirk. "I need to finalize my plans and see if I'm banging you or Ayame this weekend.

Kagome opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off when she heard the sound of a punch landing in someone's face. She gasped as she saw Inuyasha lean over the counter and hit Kouga right in the face with his fist.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, watching in disbelief.

"You fucking moron!" Kouga snarled, grabbing the hanyou's arm and pulling him over the counter. Kouga threw Inuyasha to the ground and straddled over him, raising his arm to strike the boy.

"Call the police!" Kagome shouted to Miroku as she rushed over to Kouga.

"Kagome, don't go over there!" Miroku shouted.

Kagome ignored Miroku and placed a hand on Kouga's shoulder. "Kouga, don't-"

Kouga snarled and whipped his head around to face Kagome. "Get away, you bitch!" He shouted, pushing her off him. Kagome landed with a thud on the ground and slid a few feet from the scene.

Inuyasha watched as she flew across the room and growled. He squirmed his legs out from under Kouga's and managed to fold them underneath the wolf-demon before kicking the boy off him.

"You bastard… you hit your own girlfriend!" Inuyasha shouted, standing up.

"She's not my girlfriend anymore thanks to you, mutt!" Kouga shouted, also standing from where he landed.

Kagome sat up, holding her head.

"They're on their way, Kagome…" Miroku shouted from the back.

Kouga gasped. "Shit…" He cursed, leaving the scene.

Miroku rushed to Kagome's side noticing she was on the ground. "Kagome! I told you to stay away from them…"

Kagome saw Sango rushing for her as well.

"Kagome, when demons fight, it's always a very bad idea for a human to intervene… They lose control and don't know what their attacking anymore…" Sango said softly. "Are you alright?"

Kagome nodded, turning to face Inuyasha. He was standing, looking down at her with… sympathy?

"Why did you do that?" She asked, gulping. "Why did you punch him? You're so stupid! He could have really hurt you, you know!"

"A thank you would suffice…" Inuyasha mumbled, squatting down across from her.

Miroku turned to Sango and gave her a smile and a nudge as they walked off, leaving Kagome and Inuyasha to themselves in the front of the store.

"Are you hurt?" Kagome asked shakily.

"I'm fine. Are you hurt?"

Kagome sighed and sat back on her hands. "My head does, but otherwise, I'm okay…" She winced then looked back up at those amber eyes that seemed to be closer than they were before. "You didn't answer my question…" Kagome said.

Inuyasha sighed. "He just pissed me off…" Inuyasha sat up and looked around. "Should I be running? I mean… if the cops are coming?"

Kagome blinked a few times. "I guess…" She murmured.

"I didn't really call the cops!" Miroku shouted from the back. "I figured shouting it would get Kouga to leave!"

Inuyasha sighed. "You two are spying on us?!" He asked flatly.

"Not spying, just giving you time to yourselves, that's all…" Miroku said, laughing.

Kagome and Inuyasha winced at the sound of a slap from the back.

"He has a girlfriend, you know! Don't encourage him fooling around you pervert!" Sango shouted.

--

AN: A little Valentine's day fluff for you guys! I know it isn't a kiss or anything, but that'll come up soon enough… Let me just clarify one thing. When Kouga says he was coming to see if Kagome was going to the beach house with him… he knew they were over and knew she'd say no. The only real point in mentioning it was that he would be with Ayame. He wanted to make sure Kagome knew that in order to make her jealous. Okay… just so you all know!

Please review! I love to know what you guys think!

Love Always,

Patche


	7. And The Truth Comes Out

I Stole Your Soul

**By: **Patche

**Disclaimer: **I, Patche, do not own Inuyasha, any of its characters or the lyrics to "This Is Twice Now" by Lydia (which will never be used in the story, but were great inspiration for the story)

**Chapter Seven: And the Truth Comes Out…**

--

"Well, gentlemen, I'm afraid that although business would suggest otherwise, Taisho's will not be bought out by you. Taisho's was my father's business and though I hold little respect for the man, I intend to keep the restaurant dignified and not sell it over to some chain such as yours…" Sesshoumaru spoke cooly from his chair across the desk from two men dressed business suits.

The two men sat beside each other, facing Sesshoumaru with their backs turned to the gargantuan window that overlooked the city of Tokyo several stories below them.

The man on the left sighed and adjusted the glasses draped across the bridge of his nose.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, my partner and I are willing to pay a hefty price to merge Taisho's with "Pizza Circus".

Sesshoumaru raised a brow and chuckled inwardly at the cheesy name that would possibly consume his beloved Taisho's. Pizza Circus was a well known pizza chain which specialized cheap cheesy pizza and tons of "activities" for children to indulge in.

"What exactly do you mean when you say 'hefty'?" Sesshoumaru asked.

The man on the right cleared his throat as the man on the left opened his mouth to speak.

"At least three hundred million yen, sir…"

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened slightly as the man named his price. "Well…" He started but was interrupted by the his cell phone ringing from his pocket. Sesshoumaru pulled the phone from his pants and read the screen.

'Rin' it said in big letters.

"Excuse me, this is important…" He murmured, opening the phone and holding it up to his ear as he left the room.

"Yes?" Sesshoumaru asked once he made it to the hallway.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin shouted on the other end.

"What is it, Rin?" He asked, slightly annoyed yet thankful for the phone call to excuse him from the meeting.

"Inuyasha-sama got into a fight."

"You called me to let me know this? Rin, he's been in thousands of fights in school. I was in a rather important meeting and though it was a horrible bore, I really should get back to it-" Sesshoumaru started but was cut off by the girl on the other end of the phone.

"Sesshoumaru-sama! Please, don't go. Inuyasha was in a fight at work. Miroku-sama called me to let me know that he was going home. I came in to fill his place. Miroku-sama told me I should call you, however."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. "I see. So, who exactly did Inuyasha get into a fight with?"

"A customer…"

Sesshoumaru sighed loudly. "Very well. Thank you, Rin."

--

Kagome tapped her pencil anxiously as she sat in Zoology the following day. She looked to her right and noticed her lab partner was missing. She assumed he was absent due to the fight, but didn't understand seeing as he wasn't injured by Kouga.

Maybe he was just scared to show his face in school?

She sighed and shook her head. 'Who cares where that guy is anyway?' She asked herself turning to the board in front of her. She blinked in astonishment.

'When did we get to this topic?' Kagome asked herself comparing her notes to those written on the board. She must have space out for quite some time thinking about Inuyasha.

'Ugh! There I go again! What's wrong with me? So he punched Kouga… big deal! He hates Kouga. He probably was just dying for a shot at revenge and figured then was an opportune time as any to punch him…'

She tapped her pencil at a faster pace.

'But, still… after what Kouga said… about me.' Kagome dropped the pencil from her hand and rested her head in her palm.

'He just has such moments where he isn't so horrible. Hah. You'd almost think we were becoming… friends…'

"Inuyasha, you're very late! I hope you have a good reason…"

Kagome popped her head up to see her teacher barking at the boy that had just walked through the door halfway through her class.

"Keh…" He mumbled and took his spot next to Kagome. His hair hung down across his shoulders and the top to his uniform was unbuttoned, revealing his white undershirt which was against the dress-code. His face even held a very sly smirk as he sat down.

"Inuyasha! I'll have you sent to the front office if you don't give me some note to excuse your absence for the first half of this class." Kuwashima-sensei said, placing her hands on her hips.

Inuyasha dug into his pocket and pulled out a small note. Kuwashima-sensei walked over to his desk to retrieve it. Unfolding it, the woman furrowed her brow before looking back at the hanyou through narrow slits.

"Very well, then…" She murmured, taking the note back to the podium with her.

'What was that all about?' Kagome asked herself looking over at Inuyasha.

--

"Hey!" Kagome shouted to Inuyasha as class let out. He turned around and looked at her expectantly. "Why were you so late to class today?" She asked curiously.

"Since when was my life any of your business?" Inuyasha asked gruffly, turning away from me.

"Ever since you started butting your way into mine! You know, you've got a lot of things to explain. Be thankful this is what I'm starting with!" Kagome shouted.

Inuyasha snorted. "I had a doctor's appointment, if you must know, Higurashi…" The slick smile that had been plastered on his face when he entered the classroom had disappeared and we began to walk together.

"So why are you acting so… strange… and why isn't your uniform buttoned up?!" Kagome asked, pulling at the flap of his uniform.

Inuyasha sighed and snatched the fabric from her hand. "_Why_ can't you just shut up?!" He shouted.

"Because I want some answers." Inuyasha stopped, but didn't bother to face her. "I want to know why you punched Kouga last night." She said slowly, wondering why he had come to such an abrupt stop.

Inuyasha didn't speak. She sighed in defeat and rolled her eyes.

"Or you could just ignore me and my asinine questions…" Kagome mumbled. "But _because I wanted to_ isn't really an answer…"

Inuyasha huffed. "Well, it'll just have to do for now, Kagome…" He mumbled, walking ahead of her.

Kagome didn't follow, she merely stood back and watched as he continued his march down the hall to his own locker.

Inuyasha let out a grunt of approval once he arrived at his locker. He looked out of the corner of his eye to see Kagome had disappeared from her spot in the hall.

He shuddered feeling a hand on his shoulder.

"Kagome, look, I'm not in the mood to deal with you right now…" He mumbled.

"Kagome?!" The voice sounded surprised. It was Kikyou's voice. Inuyasha spun around to face her.

"Kikyou." He smiled and wrapped his arms around the girl before him. "Oh, what a relief…" He mumbled.

Kikyou sighed annoyed with him. "Why did you think I was Kagome?"

Inuyasha pulled away from the girl. "She followed me out of class asking me all these ridiculous questions… _'Why were you late, Inuyasha? Why did you punch Kouga last night, Inuyasha? Why are you breaking the dress-code, Inuyasha? Blah blah blah…_" Inuyasha mocked her, folding his arms across his chest.

"You punched Kouga?" Kikyou asked astonished.

Inuyasha groaned and turned back to his locker, stuffing his zoology book inside. "Yeah… he came into Taisho's last night and demanded to see the girl and he just kept running his mouth… so I punched him."

Kikyou raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "What was he running his mouth about?" She asked slowly.

Inuyasha could hear the suspicion in her words. "You know, the usual stuff… 'Hanyou, half breed, yadda yadda…'" Inuyasha lied.

Kikyou nodded and looked down the hallway. Her expression held a bit of disdain. "I hate that anyone would ever say that to you. If they really knew anything about you…" Kikyou trailed off, giving the boy beside her a smile.

Inuyasha nodded.

"So, how was the doctor's appointment?" Kikyou asked. Inuyasha stiffened. He forgot that he'd told Kikyou about his doctor's visit last night once he was home.

"Fine." He replied all-too quickly.

--

Kagome sighed in the lunchroom noticing Kouga sitting among her friends at her usual lunch table. She saw Ayame pick her head up and look at the girl. Kagome gave her a soft smile, but received a sneer, then Ayame's gaze fell elsewhere.

'Great… guess I'll go sit on the roof or something…' Kagome thought.

"Oh, Kagome-chan!" She heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Sango?" She asked turning around to face her. 'Did Sango just call me Kagome-_chan_?'

Sango smiled brightly. "I saw the bastard took over your table. You can sit with us if you want…" Sango said, gesturing to the table behind her where Inuyasha and Kikyou sat in silence.

Kagome smiled. "I don't think I'd be so welcome…" She said nervously.

Sango waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, please… You and Inuyasha work together and are lab partners in that zoology class… Kikyou won't say a word to you and I think after what happened last night you deserve a second chance…"

Kagome tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

Sango laughed. "Well, you see… All this time I've kind of been under the impression that you enjoyed the life you had. You liked hanging out with such superficial creatures. But once I saw your reaction to Kouga… I don't know." The girl turned her head slightly, her ponytail bouncing along with the motion.

"You don't deserve to be standing here by yourself at lunch time." Sango finished.

Kagome smiled warmly at the girl. "Thank you, Sango-chan…" She whispered.

Sango smiled and ushered Kagome toward her table.

Inuyasha and Kikyou both looked up in shock as Kagome sat down across from them and next to Sango.

"I'm tired of being the third wheel and Kagome's ex has taken over her table…" Sango said before either of them could retort.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. "Sango…"

Kikyou scoffed and turned away from the girl across from her.

"So, we can all be friends…" Sango said, smiling.

Kikyou scowled bitterly at Sango.

Kagome bit her lip, nervously. "I can go sit somewhere else, Sango-chan. I appreciate it all… really…" She said softly.

Kikyou cringed at the sound of Kagome's nickname for _her_ best friend.

Just as Kagome stood, however, Sango yanked the girl back down. "Oh, no… These two are going to have to learn to deal with you being my friend." She said, keeping her eyes locked on Inuyasha and Kikyou.

'Why is she doing this?' Kagome asked herself, adjusting herself in the seat. She noticed Inuyasha had already turned his attention to his food and scarfed down every morsel he could, avoiding eye contact with her, while Kikyou's dark brown eyes locked onto her, seething.

Kagome sighed and found herself staring at the table before her. 'Alrighty then…' She thought, shoving her fork into her mashed potatoes and making strange designs in them.

"How about you eat your food instead of making ridiculous art with it? Are you so ungrateful that the school feeds you?!"

Kagome looked up wide-eyed to see Kikyou had shouted at her.

"Excuse me?" Kagome asked.

"You heard me, Higurashi…" Kikyou shook her head. "You disgust me. I can't even believe I was once your friend. Just being near you makes my skin crawl…"

Inuyasha and Sango both stared at the girl beside them incredulously.

"Kikyou…" Inuyasha breathed out.

Kagome sighed and nodded her head. "Right…" She murmured and stood from the table, and walked off, leaving the cafeteria.

--

'_I remember the first time I saw Higurashi Kagome. We were in year seven of school. She was a new student transferring from a nearby district. I sat in class on the very first day of school and watched as she walked through the door._

_She was flawless. Her skin was perfectly clear and her hair shimmered beautifully even under the fluorescent lighting of the class room. Her big brown eyes smiled happily as she introduced herself to the class._

_I felt my cheeks burning just from looking at her. She was stunning. _

_She actually looked like the girl I had rescued several years before… However, as much as I hoped to run into that girl once more, I doubted Kagome was she. That would be all too perfect. _

_She bowed once she finished her introduction that I had completely spaced out for and took a seat beside a girl that looked similar to herself, Kikyou. _

_I watched her as the two began idle chatter, then soft laughter. As the year dragged on, I could tell they were becoming the best of friends. Kikyou would just look at Kagome when the teacher would speak and Kagome would laugh along with her. _

_I decided, one day, that I was going to talk to Kagome. I had convinced myself she was that girl… the one I saved. She resembled her, smiled like her, even shared the same presence I recall the girl having so long ago._

_I saw her standing alone in the hallway one day. I sighed, gathering the courage and began to approach her. What would she say? Would she even remember me? What if it wasn't even the right girl?_

_I smirked and pulled the beaded necklace out from under my shirt just as a figure approached me._

"_Nice necklace…" Kikyou murmured._

_I smiled and nodded. "Thanks…" I said to the girl before me. Kikyou seemed nervous to speak, but noticed my gaze was fixated on Kagome._

"_Wh…where did you get it?" Kikyou asked quickly in an attempt to gain my attention once again._

"_Some girl. I saved her back when we were seven in an alleyway and she gave me this as a reward, I guess." I said, holding up the beads. Kikyou smiled and ran her fingers over them._

_She looked as if she was thinking of something, or realizing something…_

"_I was actually, uh… going to talk to your friend… Kagome…" I said softly, glancing at the girl from the corner of my eye. She was digging in her locker._

_Kikyou blinked. "Ka…Kagome?"_

_I nodded. "Yeah…"_

"_What for?" Kikyou asked, looking behind her to see where Kagome was._

_I raised an eyebrow. "Just to talk, I guess." I shrugged. "I actually think she might be the girl that gave me this… and, well, I've kind of been obsessing over whoever this girl is for a while. Ever since the night it happened…" I paused realizing how ridiculous I sounded. I glanced up at Kikyou, whose eyes were wide. "I don't get why I'm telling you all this…" I murmured._

"_It's fine." Kikyou said softly, her eyes losing whatever shock they held before. "I can tell you, though, it isn't Kagome…" She said softly._

_I blinked. "How do you know?" I asked. Kikyou sighed and shook her head._

"_You see, Kagome is Higurashi Masaru's daughter. She's lived in a mansion her entire life and wouldn't be caught dead out after dark without a security guard beside her. And, no offense, but I know she isn't very fond of half demons… I don't think she'd be all-too willing to accept help from one…"_

_I blinked, feeling defeated and saddened by what Kikyou had to say. I didn't believe her about everything, but even at a young age, I knew half demons were rarely accepted by society. Kagome was high society… Why would she ever accept someone like me? Even if she was the girl I rescued so long ago, she wouldn't be happy to see I wasn't a human._

_That night when I returned home, I took the beads from my neck. The beads I had worn for the past six years. I took them from around my neck and placed them on my door handle, where they remained…_

_I nodded slowly, staring at the ground and releasing my necklace._

_Kikyou sighed and placed a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry…" She said softly. "I think it's a very shallow way to be, too…"_

_I sighed and turned away from the girl, walking down the hallway. Kagome had left her locker by now, but it didn't matter to me. I was letting go of Kagome and of all that ridiculous hope I held that one day I would find the girl I saved… whoever she was._

Inuyasha awoke from his sleep and found himself at the preparation table at work… once again.

'How do I keep falling asleep at work?' He asked himself, picking his head up to reveal a small puddle of drool that had escaped his mouth.

'That's got to be unsanitary…' He thought to himself, rushing into the bathroom.

"Geez, how do you keep falling asleep at work, Inuyasha?" He heard a voice behind him as he left the bathroom with a soapy towel.

Inuyasha didn't bother turning around to know it was Kagome. They had to close together… again. It seemed they were always closing together. Inuyasha figured that because Sesshoumaru despised his brother so much, he made sure to work Kagome into the schedule only when Inuyasha was working.

'Cruel bastard…' Inuyasha thought.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha started, feeling listless. He sighed, not knowing what he was going to say to the girl.

"Are you feeling okay?" She asked, noticing his cheeks had reddened. Inuyasha nodded slowly and began cleaning up his saliva from the table with the rag.

Kagome sighed and ran off into the bathroom only to return with disinfectant wipes.

"That's really not…" He started as she pulled one out from the container and began to wipe down the table. Inuyasha let out a loud huff before continuing. "…necessary…"

Kagome finished wiping up the mess and gave him an accomplished smile before trotting off to the trashcan.

Inuyasha flattened his ears as she walked away. "Kagome…" He started. Kagome turned around and raised her eyebrows, waiting for an answer.

Inuyasha sighed. After having that dream and remembering… 'Kikyou was so wrong…' He twisted his mouth as he lowered his head.

"I'm sorry about… today…" He said slowly.

Kagome snorted. "Which part?" She asked. Her whole day had been a disaster.

"I was… rude in the hallway after class and what Kikyou said to you was just… out of line…"

Kagome sighed and shook her head. "It's fine." She let out a breath and she picked up the wipes and returned them to the bathroom. "I can't say I didn't deserve it…" She said from the bathroom.

"What do you mean?" Inuyasha asked.

Kagome tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she left the bathroom. "I'm sure you already know the story." She said, walking closer to him.

"I know Kikyou's side of it…" Inuyasha murmured.

Kagome nodded. "Well, I don't think my side is the one with any details."

"Just tell me, Kagome!" Inuyasha said, growing impatient with her sulking.

"We used to be friends… then she just… stopped talking to me one day and started hanging around you more. One day I asked her about it and she just called me shallow and superficial and said she didn't want anything to do with me anymore…"

"And you don't know what you did?" Inuyasha asked.

Kagome shook her head. "Do you?"

Inuyasha pursed his lips. "She told me that you stole some guy from her or something…"

Kagome shook her head in response. "I really don't think that's the way it was… Kikyou never had a boyfriend until you and I didn't ever date anyone until Kouga… I never even got wrapped up in any guy drama…" She sighed. "In fact, I don't think I've ever even really had a crush on anyone except for this boy I met back in elementary school."

Inuyasha laughed. "You liked Kouga, though, didn't you?" He asked.

Kagome smiled and shook her head. "Not exactly. I really never even agreed to date him. He just kind of pronounced me his one day and then it just went from there."

Inuyasha smirked. "If only the wolf boy could hear those words."

Kagome laughed. "Yeah. I feel kind of bad, but… when I first met him, I actually thought he was the guy…"

"The guy?" Inuyasha asked curiously.

"Yeah. Back when I was six, there was a boy who saved me in an alleyway… I snuck out of the house to get that ice cream I loved so much and got lost and wound up in an alley. Some creep found me and was going to hold me up for ransom once he realized who my dad was. Then, there was a boy…"

Inuyasha felt his breath hitch in his throat.

"And he saved me and walked me home…" Kagome shrugged and looked up to meet Inuyasha's shocked expression.

'No… nonononono….' Inuyasha's mind repeated. 'She can't be…'

Kagome smiled and looked back down at the ground. "I thought Kouga actually looked like him a little when I first saw him. Buuut… I was way off." She let out a soft chuckle. "But, gosh… I've been wishing I could find that boy every day since then…"

Inuyasha stared at the ground, letting her words soak into him.

"Gosh, what's with you?" Kagome asked, noticing his weird behavior after hearing her story. "Is my story that boring?!"

Inuyasha shook his head softly, but still refused to look up at the girl before him.

"Whatever." Kagome said. "Anyway, that's _the guy_… if you ever hear me refer to him…"

"G…got it…" Inuyasha said breathlessly.

Kagome opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the phone ringing.

"Thanks for calling Taisho's…" Inuyasha heard her say once the ringing subsided.

'She's the girl… Kagome is _the GIRL_!' Inuyasha clenched his eyes shut. "Oh shit…" He murmured to himself, holding his head.

--

AN: I'm in a very angsty mood. I want to write something super sad right now. Anyway, Inuyasha knows who Kagome is… Oh no… also, curious doctors visits? And what's the truth behind Kikyou and Kagome's ruined friendship? I'll be so impressed if someone can actually guess it. And is Sesshoumaru going to really sell Taisho's to Pizza Circus?! I'm sorry, I couldn't think of something. Pizza Circus is a spin off Chucky Cheese. Oh, also 300,000,000 yen would be something close to like 3 and a half million dollars I think? I'm not a hundred percent. I didn't really use a converter… I'm too lazy tonight. Anyway, I do know it's a lot of money.

Please review! I love to know what you guys think!

Love Always,

Patche


	8. It Eats Away Your Heart

I Stole Your Soul

**By: **Patche

**Disclaimer: **I, Patche, do not own Inuyasha, any of its characters or the lyrics to "This Is Twice Now" by Lydia (which will never be used in the story, but were great inspiration for the story)

**Chapter Eight: It Eats Away Your Heart**

--

Miroku came into Taisho's the following afternoon with a huge grin plastered across his face. Kagome, Sango, and Rin were all working together as they watched him walk through the door, curiosity raisin in their minds.

'Perfect time…' He thought pulling a group of coupons from his pocket.

"Miroku! What beings you here?" Rin asked cheerfully.

"I've been asked to hand out coupons for complimentary services to our beloved pizza girls next door." He looked around the restaurant. "Though, I can see we seem to be missing one such woman…"

"Izayoi's with Inuyasha. They're visiting his doctor." Kagome said softly.

"Didn't he just see the doctor a few days ago?" Sango asked, looking to Kagome.

Kagome shrugged. "His doctor is a close friend of his mother's, I guess, so he can usually squeeze Inuyasha in whenever."

"Oh no! I hope Inuyasha will be okay." Rin said worriedly, looking between the two girls.

Miroku smiled. "I'm sure Inuyasha will be just fine, Rin. Here, have this…" Miroku said, bending down to her level and handing her a coupon from his stack.

"What is this, Miroku-sama?" Rin asked innocently, looking at the small piece of paper Miroku placed in her hands. The man looked back at her smiling wickedly as he approached Kagome.

"Why, they're coupons…" He smirked, handing a similar looking piece of paper to Kagome.

Kagome sighed, reading the wording across it.

'This Coupon Is Redeemable For One Free Service by Miroku'

"Miroku-sama… what's a Brazilian?" Rin chimed.

"You CREEP!" Kagome heard Sango shout as Miroku handed her the same coupon followed by the loud sound of flesh colliding with what she assumed to be a hand. "You know, you can go to jail for even offering that service to a child!"

"Kagome, I don't get it." Rin said looking up at Kagome.

Kagome smiled nervously at the girl before her. "Just wait until you're a little older, dear…" She said softly, plucking the coupon from Rin's hands. "Then you can get something like this done…"

--

Izayoi sighed as Inuyasha put their car in park in front of an old office building. Inuyasha was silent, pulling the keys from the ignition. He turned to his mother.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly.

Izayoi nodded slowly, clutching at her chest. "I just don't understand how this can be happening…" She murmured softly, running a hand idly through his silver locks.

Inuyasha blinked and tore his amber eyes from her, reaching for the door handle.

"What else would it have been, mom?" He asked, opening the door and hopping out of the car. His mother did the same.

"It's going to be alright…" She murmured more to herself than her son as she grabbed for his hand.

"I don't need you to treat me like a baby, mom!" Inuyasha snatched his hand from her and marched into the building, Izayoi a few feet behind him.

She gasped and slowed her walking to fall behind Inuyasha. 'Maybe you don't need to be treated like a baby…' She thought to herself. 'But right now, I really need you to be one again…'

Inuyasha turned behind him and noticed his mother trudging along slowly, but far behind him. Inuyasha reached the front of the building and pulled on the handle to the large glass door in front of him, holding it open until his mother passed through the doorway.

"Hi! Can I help you?" A woman at the desk asked noticing the two entering the building.

"We're here for Hiromi Myoga. He has my son's lab results…" Izayoi spoke, gesturing to Inuyasha.

The girl blinked. "Oh, right… Inuyasha…" She murmured, grabbing a clipboard from the desk in front of her. "Alright. He's expecting you, so you can just go through the hall. His office is the first door on the right." The woman said, pointing them in the direction they needed to follow.

Izayoi turned to Inuyasha and noticed he'd already taken off toward the office, leaving her behind.

"Thank you…" She said softly, following after her son.

She watched him veer off into a room on the right side of the hallway and followed in after him only to find herself in a dimly lit office. Inuyasha sat in a chair at the opposite end of the room from the door and Izayoi carefully took the chair beside him, looking at her son sympathetically.

"Inuyasha… It's going to be okay. You'll be fine. I'm sure of it…" Izayoi said, a hint of uncertainty underlining every word.

"Keh…" Inuyasha said softly. "It's not like it matters… It's all Tsubaki's doing. There's nothing anyone can do to stop it."

Izayoi placed a hand on her son's back. "Inuyasha, how can you say that? There is hope…"

"It's a curse, mom! I'm cursed! You're cursed! We're both going to die. Nothing is going to change it!" He spat, turning to face her.

Izayoi removed her hand from his back and sat back in her chair. "Maybe we are, Inuyasha… But there's no harm in fighting for ourselves."

"Except that we let everyone else down…" Inuyasha murmured. "We let dad down…"

Izayoi eyed him carefully from the corner of her eye. Her son was suffering. She didn't know what had caused it. He had been seeing Myoga, their family doctor and long-time friend of his fathers, his whole life. Myoga was a renowned doctor dealing with youkai diseases and viruses. Though he had seen a few half demons in his day, he'd never seen one as healthy as Inuyasha. At the end of every visit, Myoga would make a comment on how fast he was growing and how strong he would become.

Then, when Inuyasha was only five, they came in for a check-up and Myoga made a disturbing discovery. Some… virus… was making its way through the half-demon's blood stream and attacking the bond in his DNA connecting his half demon and full demon genomes.

The virus's spreading was causing little damage to Inuyasha's health, but developed into interesting changes. Inuyasha had developed a pattern when he was five. A distinct change in his appearance would occur every moonless night. He would become human for a night, then return to a half demon the next morning.

At first, his mother and father didn't know what to make of this change. Since it was causing no harm to his health, though, they didn't confront Myoga on the matter. Not until his last transformation was anything threatening about his condition.

Inuyasha's previous transformation occurred as it usually did. The sun would set, and his fangs, ears, and claws would all revert into their human counterparts. His hair would change from its brilliant silver into a dark brown and his irises would lose every speck of gold they once held only to be replaced with murky brown rings surrounding his pupils.

His behavior, of course, would change. Inuyasha would become calm and sincere on his human nights, at least more than he was as a half demon.

The oddity of this transformation was not discovered until the morning, when he awoke and was not quite himself.

Inuyasha told his mother he had a throbbing headache. When Izayoi reached her son and took sight of him, her heart fell to the pit of her stomach.

His eyes were red, his irises a mere blue slit running through the sea of red. His fangs were more distinguished and his claws grew twice their size. And along his face, two jagged purple stripes etched each cheek.

He looked like a monster.

Izayoi asked Inuyasha over and over what was wrong with him. But the boy wouldn't respond. His ears didn't seem to work and his eyes saw through a red tint. And all he could make out was a tiny voice in his head begging him to kill everything in sight.

After a few minutes, Inuyasha snapped out of his reverie and returned to his hanyou form. Discomforted by the imagination of things to come, Izayoi quickly made a call to their family doctor, urging him that Inuyasha was in serious danger.

And so came Inuyasha's appointment with Myoga. Myoga discovered the virus coursing through Inuyasha's veins had ripped apart many strands of DNA and now had another purpose. One, which Myoga could not identify without a blood sample.

"Well, Inuyasha-sama… your results are in…" A short old man chimed as he opened the door to his office. He flicked the light on and chuckled at the two sitting in the dark. The old man had never changed his appearance in all the years Inuyasha had known him. His head was at least twice the size of his body and he sported a pair of coke-bottle glasses to help his eyes seem even bigger than physically possible.

"Myoga-ji chan…" Izayoi whispered. "What is it?" She asked as the man peered down at the clipboard in his hand.

He sighed and adjusted his glasses, sitting on his desk. "Let's save the bad news for later. How have you two been doing?" He asked cheerfully.

Inuyasha groaned. "Shut up, old man! Just tell me what's going on!" He demanded from his chair.

"Inuyasha, that's no way to speak to Myoga…" Izayoi scolded him.

Inuyasha let out a huff and sat back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest.

Myoga chuckled nervously and set the clipboard down beside him on the desk. "Well, it's not very easy to say, Inuyasha. I have medications that can help to… lessen the transformations…"

Izayoi smiled. "Well, this is good news…"

"But…" Myoga sighed. "They aren't going to disappear. Nothing is going to get rid of this… virus. Its goal was to latch itself to your DNA and slowly deteriorate the bond between the human and the demon that you are… which is the creature that's sitting in this room right now."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow curiously.

"You see, Inuyasha, all a half demon really is… is the state of in between human and demon. Because you have both the DNA of a human and the DNA of a demon running through you… you are a human and a demon. The two extremes are constantly conflicting and one is always trying to taint the other while another is trying to purify the others…" Myoga threw his arms up in defeat. "Normally, in half demons, this is a never-ending battle. Which causes the half demon to _be_ something in between a human and a demon."

Inuyasha sat up, as Myoga continued his explanation.

"Whatever this virus is… it is destroying the _half_ demon. It is cancelling out the bonds each strand of DNA has made and will eventually destroy them all together…"

"Yeah! You've said this about a thousand times, old man! Get to the point!" Inuyasha barked, suddenly.

"Inuyasha…" Izayoi seethed.

Myoga blinked. "The point?" He asked.

"Yes, the point! Like… what is going to _happen_ to _me_?! Not will I still be a half demon on the inside!"

Myoga scratched his chin. "Inuyasha-sama… I think the outcome is very obvious. Without DNA, one can't survive."

Inuyasha's and Izayoi's eyes both widened as Myoga spoke.

"What will happen… is you will transform more and more in between your three forms. It won't just be the night of the new moon any longer. They'll become more than just monthly cycles. And these newfound transformations into your demon self will also occur more frequently until you no longer have a moment in your half demon skin. The virus will make its way to your heart…"

Inuyasha watched Myoga intently.

"And _then_ you'll die…" Myoga said softly.

Inuyasha felt his heart beat all through his body after hearing Myoga's words. It was the only sound in his ears along with the echo of his last sentence.

He stiffened at the sound of his mother bursting into a sob beside him.

"Izayoi-sama…" Myoga said sympathetically. "Please, don't cry. My team is searching for an answer. We'll prescribe him the medications until we come across one. It'll help to keep the transformations under control which will buy us more time…"

"How long?" Inuyasha asked, catching Myoga's attention.

Myoga sighed. "Maybe two months without the medication… With it you'll probably have four… But those numbers aren't certain. The rapid transformations could begin any minute now. This virus has pretty much remained dormant inside your body for the past twelve years. Now, it's suddenly ready to attack."

Inuyasha closed his eyes.

'Better get to living then…' He thought.

--

Inuyasha was relieved to find he had the night off from work. He really was dreading facing Kagome again after the incidents of last night.

_"But, gosh… I've been wishing I could find that boy every day since then…"_

There were more than enough reasons to keep his identity a secret from her. One, Kagome _hated_ him whether she wanted to admit to it or not. Two, he _STRONGLY disliked_ Kagome. Three, she would be devastated to know her savior was actually a half demon…

And fourthly, what was the point? He'd be gone in a few months anyway…

So, instead of mulling over the fact that he had indeed found the girl of his dreams, who ironically enough, wound up to be a girl he couldn't stand, Inuyasha decided to spend some much needed time with his girlfriend who he felt he hadn't seen in ages.

Inuyasha sat on the couch, facing the television as Kikyou came in front of him and sat down on the floor, her back against the couch.

"Inuyasha…" She murmured softly.

"Yeah?" He asked, looking down at her.

Kikyou shifted her body and turned to face him. "What did the doctor have to say?" She asked him curiously.

Inuyasha had decided against telling Kikyou any of the business about this mysterious virus he'd contracted. He felt if she knew he could become a demon at any moment, she'd run and never return to him.

"Not much… gave me some pills…" He murmured, crossing his arms.

"Are they going to help put an end to your headaches?" She asked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

'So, she doesn't believe the headache thing?'

"That's what Myoga said…"

Kikyou nodded. "Well, you know…" She stood up. "I was thinking that maybe while I've got you alone finally… we could go out." She let the hint of a smile grace her lips as she spoke. "Maybe go for a stroll around the city in the dark… get some candy, look at the stars…"

Inuyasha chuckled. "Kikyou, you know what tonight is…" He said. "I don't want to be seen in my human form…"

Kikyou sighed, disappointed. "Please? We never do anything anymore now that _Kagome_ has to work with you. You always have to be there, training her… I hardly even get to see you anymore…" She turned her back to him. "Unless, you like it that way…" She added.

"Keh!" Inuyasha shot up. "Kikyou, don't even start that bullshit! You know that I love _you_. I can't stand working with that stupid girl…"

Kikyou turned to him. "Then let's go…" She said, smiling at him.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to speak just as his phone began to ring. 'Taisho's' read across the screen. He groaned and flipped it open.

"What?!" He barked into the receiver.

"Inuyasha!" It was Kagome's voice. "Rin had to leave early. She was running a fever and Sesshoumaru came by to pick her up. We need you to fill in…"

"Kagome! I…" He looked and saw Kikyou scowling out of the corner of his eye. "I'm with Kikyou tonight. We have plans. I'm not coming in." He said firmly.

Kagome scoffed. "Well, I get that, Inuyasha. It's great that you and your precious girlfriend are finally spending time together. But your brother told me to call you and said if you refused that I should remind you that your walking on very thin ice with him…" The threat that had clearly been worded by his brother sounded odd coming from Kagome's lips.

Inuyasha huffed. "Seriously?! Is this about Kouga?"

"I'm guessing…"

Inuyasha turned to Kikyou and slumped his shoulders. "Alright… I'll be there in a bit…"

He watched Kikyou's face fall. "Kikyou, I…"

She sighed and turned away from him.

"Just go, Inuyasha…"

"I'm sorry…" He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her slender frame, breathing in the scent of her hair and kissing her neck softly. "Rain check?" He asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as he whispered into it.

Kikyou turned herself around in his arms so they were facing.

"Tomorrow? You'll hang out with me… no excuses?" She asked.

Inuyasha smirked and nodded, leaning down to take her mouth in a light kiss before leaving the girl behind

--

The sun was just beginning to set as Inuyasha made his way to the restaurant.

'Shit… I forgot it was my human night when I agreed to work… damn…' He thought opening the front door of the shop.

"Inuya-" Kagome was cut off at the sight before her. There stood Inuyasha, however, he was… changing…

She watched in horror as the boy's white hair became black and his pointed dog ears disappeared entirely. His eyes changed from their normal golden hue to a dark grey and his claws and fangs disappeared.

Inuyasha grunted. "I can explain…" He started, noticing her shocked expression.

'She isn't putting it all together is she?' He silently begged himself. 'Please, Kagome… be as dumb as you look…'

"What just happened?" She asked. Inuyasha made his way over to the counter.

He sighed. "I've got this… virus…"

Kagome listened intently as Inuyasha gave her the entire run-down of when the transformations began and even up to his most recent doctor's visits and the problems he'd been facing…

Everything but the fact that he was going to die in a few months.

"Ever since you were five?" She asked, stunned. "But when did the demon transformations start?" She asked curiously as they stood side by side behind the counter, chatting away.

"Last month. The last time this happened… I woke up in a full demon form…" He mumbled, watching the sky beyond the windows.

Kagome nodded and was silent for what seemed to be a few moments before a giggle assaulted the airwaves.

"What?" Inuyasha asked, his voice no longer holding its normal gruff tone when he spoke to her.

"It's just funny… I kind of miss your ears…" She said, looking up at him.

Inuyasha felt his cheeks heating up. "Wha… what do you mean?"

Kagome shrugged. "I don't know. They were cute…"

'Cute? She thinks I was cute?'

"It really made up for the rest of you…" She added smiling.

Inuyasha scoffed. "Whatever. There isn't anything cute about you… at all!"

Kagome nodded, "Right…" She said simply, walking off into the bathroom.

'Stupid…' Inuyasha thought, noticing the blush still stained on his cheeks.

'I'm losing my mind… Just because Kagome is _the girl_ doesn't mean that I have to go… thinking… or caring what she thinks…' He sighed. 'of me…'

A soft shriek from the bathroom snapped Inuyasha from his thoughts. "Kagome?" She shouted, moving toward the bathroom.

He gasped as the light around him went out. It was dark. Too dark to see anything. Without his half demon senses, he could barely even find his way around his own restaurant in the pitch black surrounding him.

"Inuyasha! The lights went out…" Kagome said, opening the door. "Woah!" He heard her shout before a loud thud.

"Yeah, no shit Sherlock!" Inuyasha shouted, making her way over to her.

He could barely make out her figure on the ground in front of the bathroom door.

"Here…" He said, reaching a hand down to her. Kagome felt around for him, then after several failed attempts, found his hand and let him help her up.

"Thanks…" She breathed. "Uhh…" Inuyasha could almost see her flailing her arms in the darkness. "Inuyasha?" She asked.

He chuckled and grabbed her wrist. "I'm right here, stupid…"

"Hey! I'm not stupid, okay? It's not my fault that I can't see in the dark like you can…"

Inuyasha pulled her along until they made their way behind the counter. He sat down, his back against the counter, and noticed Kagome picking up one of the restaurant phones above him.

"The phones are dead." She said, sighing.

"Wow, you are just so observant tonight."

"Shut up!" Kagome shouted, taking a seat beside him.

Inuyasha groaned. "So, now what's the point in me being here? If the phones are dead, we can't take orders… I'm not necessary."

"The power will probably come back on soon. I think it was just the wind that might have knocked it out." Kagome said matter-of-factly.

"It didn't seem that windy outside."

Kagome shrugged. "I guess the wind picked up."

Inuyasha blinked, feeling dissatisfied with the small-talk they had managed to stumble upon. Was he seriously this screwy over her? Certainly not… He couldn't care…

So, why was he racking his brains for something to talk about?

"You know, if only Rin hadn't been sick, you could be all nice and cuddled up with your girlfriend right now…" Kagome said, breaking the silence. "And I could be sitting here with Rin having a jolly good time in the dark."

"No, if my brother didn't hate my guts I wouldn't be here… Rin couldn't have been that sick."

"She had a pretty bad fever."

"Sesshoumaru's made me work when I felt like I was gonna die! The man is heartless, Kagome."

"Maybe if you didn't punch Kouga, he wouldn't be so mad at you to call you in…" Kagome suggested.

"What? You think I shouldn't have punched him?!" Inuyasha asked, slightly offended.

"Well, you didn't have any reason to."

"I did, too. He was telling you about his plans to have sex with other girls all because you wouldn't put out." He huffed. "I was defending your honor, you know."

Kagome nodded. "I appreciate that, but I don't feel like he deserved to be punched for it."

"Seriously?! You feel like that was too rough for an asshole like him? Hell, he deserved to get the shit kicked out of him for talking to you like that!"

Kagome gasped.

"I mean… not that _I_ would have done it, but he deserved to… you know… if he said it to Sango or someone that I actually like… I might've…"

Kagome chuckled.

"Where's the nasty retort?" Inuyasha asked, noticing Kagome had remained silent after chuckling at him.

"I don't have one…" She said softly.

Inuyasha sat back, letting a memory resurface in his head.

"Kagome…"

Kagome hummed in response.

"Why did you stand up to Kouga for me that day?" Inuyasha asked slowly.

"What do you mean, why? He was hurting you…" Kagome said.

"I guess I just don't get it…" Inuyasha murmured gruffly beside her. In the darkness, he could still make out her confused expression.

"What don't you understand?" Kagome asked, turning to face him. She idly tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and scooted herself closer to the hanyou.

Inuyasha's gaze remained fixated on the floor in front of him. "I just don't understand. You know how much I couldn't stand you in the beginning of all of this. I was so mean to you. Sango was mean to you. So, why would you ever even pretend to be nice to us?" He asked. Kagome took note of the sincerity of his question. It almost didn't seem like Inuyasha was even the one speaking.

She smiled softly and sat back, leaning against the counter. "I guess it has to do with the boy that saved me so long ago." She began. Inuyasha turned to face her slightly, attempting to hide any interest in her words about the boy that saved her. "I don't know what would have happened. I think it's fair to say, though, that he quite possibly saved my life. I just don't feel like the necklace and the… kiss… really were enough of a thank you." She blushed softly remembering the way she so boldly kissed the boy on his cheek that night.

"I just feel that if I can't find him and show him my gratitude, I can at least show the world the same kindness he showed me. He had no reason to save me. He put his life in danger to do so." She sighed softly.

'If only you knew…' Inuyasha thought, inwardly smirking at the situation he found himself in.

"Kagome…" His voice sounded weaker than he wished.

The girl whipped her head up to meet his gaze. Inuyasha cupped her cheek with his hand, holding her face as he peered down at her.

"I don't hate you, you know?" He whispered softly.

"Inuyasha…?" Kagome gasped. Her breath was caught short as she felt Inuyasha bring her face closer to his and press his lips softly against her own. Her eyes widened at the initial shock of his kiss, but ever so slowly, Kagome found herself melting into him and kissing him back just as softly as he had. His kiss was clearly not one of passion. It seemed entirely curiosity-driven.

'He had a girlfriend, you know?!' Her mind screamed at her as she felt her eyes drooping.

And as quickly as his lips were on hers, they parted and Inuyasha drew back away from the girl.

"Wha…" Kagome started in confusion, looking over at him. 'What was that?' She asked herself, bringing her fingers up to touch her lips.

'Kami… I need help…' Inuyasha groaned inwardly, leaning himself against the counter once again.

They sat beside each other in complete silence as the lights flickered on again and the restaurant was lit, revealing two very crimson faces behind the counter.

--

AN: I'm in a bad mood today... and I wrote a lot! Haha. A lot happened in this chapter. I hope the DNA stuff wasn't too confusing. I'm no biology major, but from what I remember... that sounds accurate enough. Yes, the kiss was quick and very insignificant. Never fear, loves... I know what I'm doing.

Please review! I love to know what you guys think!

Love Always,

Patche


	9. Falling Out Of This

I Stole Your Soul

**By: **Patche

**Disclaimer: **I, Patche, do not own Inuyasha, any of its characters or the lyrics to "This Is Twice Now" by Lydia (which will never be used in the story, but were great inspiration for the story)

**Chapter Nine: Falling Out Of This**

--

Inuyasha groaned hearing his phone ring from his nightstand. He clenched a fist noticing the name on the caller ID.

'Kikyou'

Inuyasha sighed and rolled to the other side of his bed, letting the phone ring. He didn't want to talk to her.

'She lied… She lied about everything…'

Inuyasha had figured that she lied about Kagome being 'the girl', but he let that one slide. Everything else that Kikyou ever told him about Kagome, though, they were all lies.

_"Kagome flirts with guys so Kouga will beat them up and make her feel important…"_

_ "Kagome hold herself up so much higher than anyone else in school does…"_

_ "Kagome and Kouga are only together because she lets him do whatever he wants with her. Otherwise, Kouga would leave her for sure."_

_ "She's so fake. If her dad wasn't a famous musician, no one would care anything about a personality-less girl like her."_

He knew all this was untrue. He had known ever since he actually started talking to Kagome. So, why did he suddenly care so much that Kikyou lied?

He noticed when he kissed her… he felt something. Aside from the pure shock of his boldness, he felt good. He didn't want to stop, but it wasn't until Kagome actually kissed him back that he realized just what he was doing.

He sighed. Why had he done it? In spite of Kikyou's lies? To find out how it would feel to kiss the girl that plagued his mind since he was seven years old?

Or did it actually have something to do with the he _wanted_ more than anything in that one moment to kiss Kagome?

He groaned. 'Kami… what the hell am I doing? Kagome's probably freaking out and disinfecting her mouth right now… I just forced myself on her like an asshole.'

He rolled over to sneak a glance at his phone.

'And Kikyou… I can't just ignore her like this…'

Inuyasha groaned and reached over to his nightstand to pick up the phone.

--

"_This next one's an oldie, but a goodie if ya know what I mean. I know everyone remembers Sankon Tessou. This one's called, koibito, Houko."_

Kagome hurriedly pressed the power button on her radio just before the song started up. She knew that one the best. Her father had written it to her mother and played the song during their wedding ceremony in place of his vows.

That helped his fan base.

She pulled her keys from the ignition and opened her car door, taking in the sight of the school before her. She had much work to get done today. Today was the last rehearsal before the dress rehearsal for her drama club's presentation of _Aladdin_. She had to find a date for her double date with Ayumi and Kuro tomorrow night. And as a cherry on top of a greatly stressful day, she had to deal with Inuyasha in her second class.

Kagome groaned inwardly.

Inuyasha hadn't spoken to her… not since he kissed her. Once the lights came on at work the other night, he just shook his head and hung out in the back until it was time to close… and that was four days ago.

'I still don't get why he even kissed me…' Kagome thought to herself. It didn't make any sense to her.

She would have just assumed that he didn't really know who he was kissing if he hadn't added that little bit of information before assaulting her lips.

_'I don't hate you…'_

"What does that even mean, anyway?" Kagome grumbled to herself as she climbed out of her car and closed the door, rushing into the building ahead of her.

Just as she opened the front door of the school, Kagome gasped as she felt hands on her, pulling her away from the hallway she was headed down.

"Hey!" She shouted, looking up at her captors as they pulled her into an abandoned classroom and closed the door behind them.

She blinked, taking in the sight of two girls dressed in uniform. Yuka and Eri… Her 'best friends'.

"Kagome…" Eri spoke first as they released the girl.

Kagome rubbed her arm and looked up at the three of them.

"Did you really dump Kouga?" Eri asked, disappointed in her friend.

"You know, he's been sitting with us a lunch just moping all the time." Yuka spoke, placing her hands on her hips.

"Yes." Kagome said simply, glaring at the three of them. "I don't care if he's moping. Maybe he should learn to treat people better…" Kagome stood, preparing herself to leave the room.

"Hold it!" Eri said shortly.

"Kagome, you're our friend." Yuka started.

"Our best friend." Eri added.

"We want to know what's going on. We have hardly seen you since you got that job with the half breed…" Yuka finished.

"Yeah. And now you sit with him and Sango and Kikyou at lunch?!" Eri shouted.

"What's happening to you?" Yuka asked.

Kagome scoffed. "Are you kidding me, guys?"

"No. You dumped Kouga…"

"Stop sitting with us…"

"All for the biggest losers in the entire school?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Maybe I enjoy their company. They don't tend to side with Kouga…"

Eri scowled. "Side with Kouga? Kagome, the boy's a mess…"

"He has Ayame to keep him company, doesn't he?" Kagome spat.

"Oh, please…" Yuka started. "Kouga doesn't want Ayame. He wants you. Kagome, you should see him at lunch. All he does is whine about how much he misses you."

"We would have told him to sit somewhere else, but we were hoping you'd come back to the table eventually and try to talk to him about everything…" Eri said.

"But instead, you went and sat with that lowlife, Inuyasha!" Yuka sneered.

Kagome fisted her hands and stomped her foot before she spoke. "Quit calling him that! Inuyasha's not a lowlife! He's a decent guy, you know? You'd realize that if anyone in this stupid school ever gave the poor guy a chance!"

The two girls before her gasped and drew back away from her.

"It's happened…" Eri muttered.

"She's actually falling for a loser like him…" Yuka shook her head.

"I prayed I'd never see this day." Eri closed her eyes.

Kagome sighed. "What are you guys going on about? I'm not falling for him… I just know him. He's not so bad. I much prefer talking to him than Kouga."

"I thought that rumor that you told Kouga off because of Inuyasha wasn't true. I guess it was…" Yuka sighed.

"Kagome, this is horrible. You're so much better than him, you know!" Eri shouted.

"The guy lives in an apartment in the bad side of the district with his single mother…" Yuka trailed off.

"I hear she's a prostitute, even…" Eri added.

"And I heard that he and Kikyou snort coke at his house while she's away…" Yuka said.

'Wow…' Kagome thought, looking away from her friends. 'I really never thought these guys were so bad until now…'

"Well? Maybe you should just go back to hanging out with us, Kagome…"

Kagome chuckled. "Yeah… right…" She muttered, stepping out of the room and away from her former friends.

--

Inuyasha plopped in his seat for his zoology class. He grumbled, noticing he was earlier than any other students.

He had secretly hoped Kagome would have at least arrived earlier as she always did. He felt the need to talk to her. After the whole kiss ordeal…

He sighed. It had been four days since the night at work. He had wanted to say something to her, but didn't know what to say.

'Sorry I kissed you?'

Inuyasha shook his head. That was ridiculous. He had nothing to apologize for.

'The kiss was amazing! I don't care if you hated it!'

He laughed at himself. Maybe he would just wait until she spoke up… which she hadn't been doing.

'How could she have been so quiet? It was so unlike her. The girl usually never shuts up. Especially if I do something to piss her off…'

He rolled his eyes. 'Stupid girl… Stupid mind-invading, disgustingly infectious and amazing girl…'

He decided confronting Kagome on the matter was practically useless. After all, what would be the point to tell a girl that you care about her when you're dating her former best friend and are on the brink of death…?

He didn't know what he was doing with Kikyou anymore. For some reason, when he called her back later that night, he couldn't find the words he needed to say. He couldn't leave her.

And as promised, he spent the entire day with his girlfriend the next day, feeling guiltier as the seconds rolled by.

He found it humorous that he felt guilty for two reasons. One being the obvious, that he kissed his girlfriend's loathed enemy just the night before. The second being that he was spending time with a girl that spread nasty rumors about his newfound friend… and… crush…

He perked his ears up, hearing the door open. He turned his head and saw Kagome standing in the doorway, her hand on the knob as she pushed it closed behind her. Her brown eyes locked on his as she made her way to her desk beside him.

Inuyasha felt all the courage he had acquired over the past four days disappear as he took sight of the girl before him.

'Why is it that now that I've kissed her she has to go from being Kagome to being… _Kagome_? She was attractive before, sure, but now…'

He mentally kicked himself. 'This is crazy! You need to just stop thinking about her, stop staring at her, stop making it seem like you aren't with Kikyou!'

"Hi…"

Inuyasha was knocked out of his reverie at the sound of her voice.

"Hey…" He muttered, gruffly.

Kagome took a breath and looked away from him for a moment. "Umm…" She started. "Listen…" She turned back to face him. "I really need a favor from you. I know things are weird between us after… what… ever happened…" She felt her cheeks heat up as she spoke.

"What?" Inuyasha asked, paying no attention to the fact that she was getting bashful over the events of a few nights ago.

"You know that date I have to go on with Kuro and Ayumi?" She asked, receiving a nod from the hanyou. "Well, my plan to find a date failed and it's tomorrow night and... I really need you to come with me."

"Me?" Inuyasha asked, pointing a finger at himself. "Why me?"He scoffed. "What you think that just because I kissed you the other night that I have some feelings for you that I can't reveal because I have a girlfriend?!"

'If so… bingo…'

"You're wrong, Kagome… I mean, what happened was just an impulse. I get all stupid when I'm human and it meant…" He slowed his rant noticing Kagome's face had dropped ever so slightly at his words. "Fine…" He sat back in his chair, crossing his arms. "I'll go with you. But don't tell a soul!"

Kagome smiled weakly at his agreement. "Thank you."

"It's tomorrow night?" Inuyasha asked.

Kagome nodded, not bothering to look in his direction as she pulled out her notebook for zoology. He could tell he'd upset her. Inuyasha flattened his ears guiltily.

"Alright. Just meet me at the restaurant. I have to work until seven."

'Asshole…' Inuyasha thought, leaning back against his chair.

--

"So, what's up with you?" Sango asked after hearing Inuyasha groan in anguish at the lunch table. Kagome hadn't been sitting with them all week. Inuyasha figured she'd retreated to the library or somewhere other than the cafeteria in an effort to avoid him.

Inuyasha ran a clawed hand down his face. "I'm just… miserable…" He mumbled.

Sango laughed. "Why would you be miserable? You miss Kagome?" She asked, chuckling at his facial expression after her guess.

"No…" He murmured. "I see plenty of her as it is…"

They looked up and watched as Kikyou took her place beside him, smiling at Sango. "Hi…" She said softly. "What's going on?"

"Well what's with you Ms. Smiles?" Sango asked noticing Kikyou's unusual behavior.

Kikyou smirked. "I've just been feeling so rejuvenated this week with Higurashi out of our hair…" She laughed. "Don't you agree, Inuyasha? I know you still have to deal with her in so many other places, but at least you get some time away from her finally, right?" Her smirk faltered as she received a glare from Sango. Her boyfriend didn't join in on her laughter, either. Kikyou scoffed. "What's with you guys?!"

"Kikyou, we've already told you… Kagome's kind of our friend now, too." Sango said shrugging.

Kikyou sneered. "Well, she may be _your_ friend, Sango, but Inuyasha and I are smart enough to not befriend traitors like her…"

Inuyasha chortled. "Traitor, huh?"

"Yes, she was my best friend and she betrayed me! Why would you two think she wouldn't do the same to you?" Kikyou crossed her arms over her chest.

Sango opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Inuyasha standing from his chair and slamming his fist on the table. The entire cafeteria quieted after hearing the loud noise.

"I tried…" He murmured. "I tried these past couple days to look past it, Kikyou… but I can't do it anymore…"

"Do what?" Kikyou asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You lied to me!" He shouted. Sango eyed the two of them nervously.

"_I_ lied?! What the hell did I ever lie about?!" Kikyou snapped, standing form her chair as well.

"Everything. You lied about everything about Kagome. You made her out to be this complete bitch who was ruthless and full of herself. She's nothing like that! You convinced Sango and I that we should keep our distance because Kagome would rip us apart!"

Kikyou was taken aback as he spoke and raised a hand to her chest. "Inu…" She started.

"Don't even start that…" Inuyasha shook his head. "You told me she wasn't the girl… But she is…"

Kikyou paled and brought her brown eyes down from his face to stare at the ground before her.

Inuyasha let out a final scoff before storming out the double doors as the cafeteria returned to its normal volume.

"The… girl?" Sango asked, curiously.

Kikyou furrowed her brow. "I hate her…" She murmured, ignoring Sango's question.

--

Kagome walked up the sidewalk to Taisho's and smiled noticing Inuyasha standing outside the shop, waiting for her.

"Oh thank goodness! I was worried you were pulling my leg." Kagome said, laughing.

Inuyasha blinked in response.

Kagome chuckled. "Well, I figured we could just walk. We're just going to the movie theater about a block away…"

Inuyasha nodded and began walking in the direction of the movie theater.

"H-Hey!" Kagome shouted after him, walking quickly to catch up with him. "What's wrong with you today? You're never so quiet…" She asked once she caught up to him.

Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest. "What does it matter? I'm here, aren't I?"

Kagome sighed. "Well, yeah, but you kind of have to play the 'I really like Kagome and I totally want to be here' part to help make things less awkward for Kuro and Ayumi…"

"I don't care about how awkward their first date is." Inuyasha grumbled.

"Well, neither do I… But I agreed to help them and you agreed to help me…"

"Keh!"

The rest of the walk to the theater was silent between the two of them. Kagome felt of a wave of relief crash over her once they arrived at their destination.

Kagome rushed over to greet Ayumi and Kuro who were already waiting for them. It had been arranged that Kuro and Ayumi would arrive at least fifteen minutes earlier than Inuyasha and Kagome so they would be able to talk briefly.

"Kagome-chan!" Ayumi chimed.

"Ayumi-chan, Kuro-kun…" Kagome smiled, giving Kuro a wink.

Kuro smirked. "Glad you guys finally made it!"

"Yeah, sorry… we were running a little late." Kagome said.

"Wench-" Inuyasha started, but was interrupted by Kagome slamming her hand over his mouth.

"Don't call me that in public, sweetie…" She said. Her voice sounded sweet and sincere, but the look Kagome shot him was anything but that.

Kuro laughed at the two of them.

"Hey... I thought he was dating Kikyou…" Ayumi started, pointing to Inuyasha.

Kagome's eyes widened. 'The movie hasn't even started yet, and we've already been found out… I'm sorry Kuro…'

"I was…" Inuyasha said. Kagome gasped and turned to face him. "We're… taking a break…" He murmured.

'You are?' Kagome mouthed, looking back at Inuyasha.

He flattened his ears and turned his amber eyes to the ground before him.

'Maybe asking him out was a bad idea…' Kagome thought to herself.

"Well, hasn't the movie already started by now? We're wasting time out here…" Inuyasha grumbled, grabbing Kagome by the wrist and walking inside.

"He's a little… different…" Ayumi said, looking at Kuro.

Kuro smirked. "I'll say…"

--

"You really don't have to walk me home, you know…" Kagome said as Inuyasha walked off the property of the theater with her. They waved goodbye to Kuro and Ayumi who clicked during their double date. Kagome spotted the two holding hands halfway through the movie and felt accomplished.

"It's dark. You've pretty much got 'I'm vulnerable and easy to take advantage of' tattooed on your forehead. Plus, I really need the air." Inuyasha grumbled.

Kagome sighed. "Thank you."

"Keh! What for?"

"For coming tonight. You really were great. I'm sure they might have doubted our relationship, but…" Kagome giggled. "At least they seemed to make a connection."

"Oh, you noticed it, too?" Inuyasha asked. "I saw them playing with each other's hands during the movie."

Kagome smiled. "Oh and great cover up by the way. I thought we were doomed once Ayumi asked about Kikyou."

"It wasn't a cover up." Inuyasha said gloomily.

Kagome's face fell. "What? You mean you guys are actually…"

Inuyasha was silent beside her.

"Oh, Inuyasha. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought you along. I feel bad…" Kagome started.

"Don't feel bad. I ended it." Inuyasha said almost emotionlessly.

Kagome's eyes widened. "You did? But…"

"Yeah! I did. I don't want to talk about it…" Inuyasha murmured.

Kagome sighed and linked her arm with his while they walked to her house in silence once again.

--

AN: I don't understand the point of this chapter… But here it is. How glorious… Haha. I've got way too much on my plate with this story. It's so… twisted.

Please review! I love to know what you guys think!

Love Always,

Patche


	10. The Only Cure

I Stole Your Soul

**By: **Patche

**Disclaimer: **I, Patche, do not own Inuyasha, any of its characters or the lyrics to "This Is Twice Now" by Lydia (which will never be used in the story, but were great inspiration for the story)

**Chapter Ten: The Only Cure**

--

_Seven years had passed since her father's death. Kagome had only just transferred to her new school a few months before. She hated nothing more than leaving that shrine. The shrine she was raised in. Where he would watching her children's movies with her and pretend they were as enjoyable as she found them, where he would pull her up into his lap whenever he had something important to say to her, where they would play catch in the yard and try to avoid hitting the well house. _

_ "We're renting it out for a while. Plus, Jii-chan is very sick and he needs us to go stay with him until he gets better. I promise you'll love it there. The house is much bigger than the shrine was and the school in the district is nicer. You might even see some people from your old elementary school. This school is affiliated with the elementary school you attended."_

_ "But I don't want to move! I love the shrine. I don't want to abandon it!"_

_ "Kagome… we have to go. We don't have a choice. Ken's already found a job nearby…"_

_ Kagome hated her mother that day… she still hadn't completely forgiven her. Though the high school was nice and she managed to make friends quickly, she still missed her old life every minute of every day…_

_ "Kagome-chan?"_

_ Kagome lifted her head at the sound of her name and noticed Kikyou smiling beside her._

_ "Are you okay? You looked like something was bothering you." _

_ Kagome shook her head and flashed Kikyou a weak smile of her own in reassurance. "No. I'm fine, Kikyou-chan. Thanks, though." She sighed and glanced at Kikyou's bedroom wall, losing herself to her thoughts once more._

_ Kagome clenched her eyes shut. 'Isn't it about time I stopped thinking about him? I hardly even knew him!'_

_ "Okay, Kagome-chan… tell me what's wrong!" Kikyou demanded of her friend. _

_ Kagome didn't bother to turn herself around this time before she spoke. "It's seven years today…" Her voice was almost inaudible as she whispered her response. Kikyou heard, however, and understood without any further explanation._

_ She had known Kagome almost a year now. They had bonded the instant she transferred to Kikyou's high school and were practically inseparable since. Kikyou loved how much Kagome would make her laugh and how quirky Kagome could be._

_ But Kikyou knew that even someone as fun and loving as Kagome had her darker secrets._

_ The first time Kagome ever spoke of her father was one night when Kikyou called her and found her crying on the other end of the phone. Though Kagome didn't say much at first, Kikyou eventually got the whole story out of her._

_ Kikyou sighed and scooted closer to her friend, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Kagome-chan…"_

_ Kagome sniffled and let out a soft sigh. "It's fine. I just don't know how to feel. I feel like the fact that it happened so long ago indicates I should have moved on by now… But I haven't and I can't. I know the rest of my family has. My mom never even talks about him anymore… And Souta didn't even know him… To him, he's Ken's son."_

_ "Kagome-chan, there's no set amount of time a person can grieve. If you miss him, then that just can't be helped."_

_ Kagome nodded, feeling her bottom lip begin to tremble. "I just… I need him here now!" She sobbed as Kikyou embraced the trembling girl beside her._

_ They sat like that for what seemed to be hours. Kikyou just held her, running a hand through her hair and shushing her loud sobs._

_--_

_ "The list is up! I can't wait to see!"_

_ Kagome and Kikyou exchanged curious looks as the sound of screaming girls filled the hallways._

_ "The list?" Kagome asked._

_ "AHH! I made the archery team!" They heard a girl shout from down the hall._

_ Kikyou's eyes widened. "The list is up!" She shouted excited, grabbing at Kagome. Kikyou rushed to the wall, holding Kagome's hand._

_ They stood on the outskirts of the giant mob that had formed in front of the small piece of paper hanging from the wall outside the girls' locker rooms._

_ "Let's make a pact…" Kikyou said._

_ Kagome turned to her. "A pact?" She asked._

_ Kikyou nodded. "Yes… if one of us makes the team and the other doesn't, then whoever made the team will decline the offer…"_

_ Kagome tilted her head. "Why would you say that, Kikyou? You know we're both going to make it in!" _

_ Kikyou sighed. "I know, but just in case…" She said, her eyes pleading._

_ Kagome smiled and held out her hand for Kikyou to shake. "Of course I wouldn't join, Kikyou. The archery team wouldn't be the same without you!"_

_ Kikyou smiled and grabbed Kagome's hand shaking it just as a clearing was carved in the hoard of girls surrounding the list._

_ "Ready?" Kikyou asked Kagome. Kagome nodded and they walked through the girls to the list._

_ Kikyou scanned the list for her name. "Kumiko, Kagome… Hey! Kagome, you made the list!" Kikyou shouted to her friend and received a smile in response before she turned her attention to the list once more. "Asagi, Yuka, Abi, Sara, Sakura…" Her eyes widened in horror. She'd reached the end. Her name was nowhere to be found._

_ Kagome came around behind her and looked over her shoulder. "Oh, come on! You have to be on the list, Kikyou-chan!" She shouted, scanning over the list herself. "There's no way…" _

_ Kikyou sighed and hung her head._

_ "Kikyou-chan…" Kagome started. She placed a hand on her shoulder. "It doesn't matter. You know I'm not joining without you! The stupid archery team can just get over it. I refuse to join!"_

_ "No, Kagome-chan. You should go… It was stupid of me to want to keep you from this."_

_ Kagome furrowed her brow. "Are you crazy? I told you I'm not joining. It won't be any fun without you. I don't even like archery all that much. I only tried out so we could do something together…"_

_ Kikyou turned to face her friend, her expression unreadable._

_ "Thank you, Kagome-chan…" She murmured sounding unappreciative as she stepped away from the crowd and leaving Kagome behind her._

_--_

_ "Do you want to watch a romantic movie or an action movie?" Kagome asked a few nights later, holding two dvd cases in her hands. "I've got Aishiteru." Kagome smiled, hopeful that Kikyou would choose the romance film. _

_ Kikyou turned away, uninterested in the movies Kagome held out to her. "I'd rather watch Akira…" She mumbled._

_ "We've already watched Akira like twenty billion times!" Kagome threw her hands up in exasperation._

_ "Fine, then Aishiteru! Gosh, why do you even ask my opinion?" Kikyou asked dryly._

_ Kagome huffed and placed her hands on her hips. "What's wrong with you? You're all… pissy…" Kagome said, struggling to find a word to appropriately describe how her best friend was acting._

_ Kikyou sighed. "It's nothing. I'm just…" She couldn't lie to Kagome. No matter how hard she tried. The girl's pleading eyes always ripped the truth right from Kikyou's vocal chords. "There's this guy…" She started, glancing up to see Kagome smiling eagerly._

_ "A guy?!" She asked, excitedly. "Oh my gosh! Tell me about him!" Kagome sat down beside her friend._

_ "It's Inuyasha…" _

_ "Who?"_

_ "You know… the guy with the long white hair? The half demon…" Kikyou attempted to explain but found herself staring into Kagome's clueless eyes. She sighed. "Anyway, he's in our first class… and I just… I don't know…" She felt herself blushing. "The other day, I bumped into him and dropped my books everywhere. Totally cliché was to meet someone, I know… But he muttered something about me watching where I walked kind of bitterly. Then, before he walked off… he looked almost guilty and flattened those dog ears on top of his head and bent down to help me pick them up."_

_ Kagome was smiling the biggest smile she could stretch her mouth into. "Kikyou-chan! That's so cute!" She shouted. "Oh my goodness! You should ask him on a date! I want to meet him!"_

_ Kikyou waved off her friend's overly-eager behavior._

_ "Yeah, but Ichiro told me he's already in love with someone else…" She sighed. "So, it's useless.."_

_ Kagome frowned. "Well, maybe he'll get over her?"_

_ Kikyou shrugged. "Maybe… What about you? I know you have to have a crush on someone…"_

_ Kagome pursed her lips. "Well, kind of… I guess…"_

_ "Who?" Kikyou asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity._

_ Kagome smiled sheepishly. "It's so silly…"_

_ "Kagome-chan… everything about you is silly…"_

_ Kagome huffed. "That's not true! I can be taken seriously." Kikyou nodded, smiling. _

_ "Anyway…" Kikyou said for Kagome._

_ "Right, anyway… when I was six years old… there was this little boy who rescued me one night when I ran away from home to get some ice cream. There was some weird guy I found in an alley that was creeping me out and this boy showed up…" Kagome smiled. "Any he took me home…"_

_ "That's not silly…" Kikyou said, bringing Kagome back from her story._

_ "Sure it is! I haven't seen him or talked to him since that day. I don't even know his name! And yet… I can't help but kind of adore him…"_

_ Kikyou smirked. "Well, that's just like you, Kagome-chan…"_

_--_

_ "Kagome-chan!"_

_ Kagome was walking down the hall and passing the open gym door when she heard her name being called form inside. She turned to see Yuka waving at her. Yuka was a girl in her class who she had spoken to a few times, mostly while they were trying out for the archery team._

_ She smiled and waved back._

_ "Come here! Eri needs some serious help with her form and the coach ran off to the bathroom. I'm so bad at explaining these kinds of things to her and your form is always perfect!"_

_ Kagome nodded and walked into the gym, following behind Yuka to see her friend Eri struggling with the bow and arrow._

_ "I don't get it! This is how we're supposed to hold it, right? I'm so off today… I can't even shoot an arrow!" Eri complained._

_ Kagome smiled and reached out for the bow and arrow._

_ "You've really got the basics of the form down, Eri-chan. You just need to remember to hold your back straighter. That's probably why you can't draw your arm back far enough to tighten the string of the bow." She suggested. "So, just straighten your back…" She demonstrated, pulling herself into the appropriate position. "And then pull your shoulders back…" She pulled back on the arrow, preparing to let it loose. "And then…" She said releasing it. The arrow soared through the sky and landed in the middle of one of the targets the girls had set up for their training._

_ "Bulls eye!" She said, smiling proudly._

_ "Wow, Kagome-chan!" Eri exclaimed. "You're so good!"_

_ "Yeah. You've got to be the best even out of the whole archery team! With your skill, we'd win for sure!"_

_ Kagome smiled and handed the bow back to Eri._

_ "Well, I have to be off to class. If you guys need any more help, you know where to find me." She said, smiling as she left the double doors, failing to notice the scowling girl just on the other side of the hallway._

_--_

_ Kikyou turned her head hearing the sound of an arrow being driven into canvas from the gym. 'Archery team…' She thought bitterly. _

_ "Bulls eye!" She heard a girl chime._

_ She felt her eyes widen in recognition. 'No…'_

_ "Wow Kagome-chan!"_

_ Kikyou clenched her eyes shut. This wasn't happening. Kagome wouldn't have joined the archery team…_

_ She promised…_

_ 'She… she lied. She didn't even care about our friendship… She didn't care that I didn't make it in. She was probably just gloating about how she made it in and I didn't… like she beat me in some competition…'_

_ "Yeah. You've got to be the best even out of the whole archery team!"_

_ Lifting her head, Kikyou debating confronting Kagome on the matter. She sighed. 'No… You're not worth it, Kagome…' She thought, turning her back to the gym and walking down the hallway._

_--_

Sesshoumaru stepped into Taisho's surprising everyone as he passed through the doorway.

"Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha asked defensively.

"Relax. Rin is sick still, so I've come to fill in." Sesshoumaru said calmly, raising a hand to silence his younger brother.

"Oh no. Rin is still sick?" Izayoi asked, concerned for her coworker.

"Is she going to be alright?" Kagome asked the silver-haired man.

Sesshoumaru glanced at her through the corner of his eyes briefly before turning away from his employees and disappearing into the back of the restaurant.

"Uh oh… That look couldn't have been too good…" Sango remarked dryly.

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked, looking in Sango's direction.

"Rin must be really sick. Not that Sesshoumaru would have responded to your question otherwise, but the way he looked at you was quite discomforting…"

Kagome's eyes fell to the floor. 'Does it have to do with the curse? Is it spreading to the employees now?'

"Keh! Like Sesshoumaru has a single comforting look to shoot at people…" Inuyasha muttered from against the wall.

It was a Friday afternoon and he had another doctor's appointment after work, only this time it wasn't Myoga he was going to see.

Myoga had called his house a few nights ago and given him the name of a local witch-doctor. Because whatever the disease is has been sprung upon him from a curse, Myoga felt talking to a woman that understood curses better than he might cure whatever ails Inuyasha.

He noticed Sesshoumaru coming out from the back, holding a ridiculous pizza slice-shaped costume in his one hand and a sign that read 'half price slices' in the other.

"Sales are disappointing as always… Someone needs to go advertise…" He mumbled, dropping the costume and the sign on the floor. "If I don't see anyone out there in five minutes, I'll send Inuyasha…"

Inuyasha grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest as he noticed the three girls staring at the costume as if it were an insect crawling around on the floor.

"Well, don't just stare at it! Someone put it on!" Inuyasha barked.

"I think you should be the one to wear it." Sango suggested. "Seeing how he's going to pick you anyway…"

"Keh! He said that because he knew you guys didn't want to deal with the crap I'd give you if I had to stand out there thanks to your indecisiveness."

"Inuyasha…" Izayoi scolded him. "Just put it on. I'm far too old to be standing out there in this thing…"

Inuyasha scoffed and opened his mouth to shoot his mother a nasty retort, but silenced himself seeing Kagome walk up to the costume and pick it up.

"I'll do it." She volunteered, smiling at Inuyasha. "I owe you one!" She added, winking an eye in his direction and walking off to the bathroom to change.

Izayoi and Sango exchanged dumbfounded looks after the girl had disappeared.

"She… owes you… one?" Sango asked in disbelief.

"Well, yeah… I helped her out with… something…" He stammered.

'Kami… she didn't have to make it so obvious!'

The three of them whipped their heads around to find Kagome stepping out of the bathroom in the triangular slice of pepperoni pizza that she was wearing.

She smiled nervously, feeling a little ridiculous.

Inuyasha was the first to burst into uncontrollable laughter at the sight of her. "Hot damn! You look great!" He shouted in between laughs.

Izayoi smiled and giggled along with him softly and was soon joined by Sango.

Kagome sighed. "Yeah, yeah…" She muttered, picking up the sign Sesshoumaru left. "Just be thankful…" She added, walking out the door.

She couldn't tell how long she stood out on the corner of the street, holding the sign pathetically and regretting her decision to take Inuyasha's place before she saw Miroku coming out of the hair salon.

"Kagome… what are you doing out here?" He called out to the girl in the pizza slice costume.

"I have to hold his stupid sign for Sesshoumaru… all because I agreed to help Inuyasha…" She said, raising her arms in defeat. "I feel ridiculous…"

Miroku nodded. "If it's any consolation, you look ridiculous as you might feel."

Kagome let out a soft chuckle and playfully pushed him.

"Well, you know… I'm done for the day. I'd gladly stand out here with you." He reached over to the sign that was in her hands. "I'll hold your sign, how does that sound?"

Kagome beamed at him.

Miroku returned the smile. The gesture was short lived, however, as a car playing loud dance music was heading toward them. He tilted his head. "Oh my gosh… I think I love this song…" He muttered.

Kagome laughed as he began gyrating his hips along with the beat. He grabbed her hand and set the sign on the ground beside them.

Kagome was caught off guard once he grabbed her hands, but quickly fell into rhythm with him, moving to music.

--

Inuyasha wiped a hand down his tired face. The customer he helped smiled and turned to walk away, leaving him another to assist.

For some reason, the restaurant seemed so much more crowded than it had in all his time working there. Was the sign thing really all that effective?

"And you have a great day…" He heard Sango say quickly as the next person in line stepped up. "Hi, can I help you?"

"Alright, you have a good day…" Inuyasha murmured as the customer he'd helped walked out the door.

"What is going on out there?" He asked, turning to Sango.

Sango peered over the counter and took sight of the cause of commotion. Out on the corner of the restaurant was a pizza slice dancing wildly alongside two men and several young children. Somehow a boom box had made its way to the patch of grass her dancing inhabited and was obviously playing some wild dance music from the moves these people were busting out.

"Oh my gosh…" She smiled, holding a hand up to her face.

Inuyasha blinked and followed Sango's gaze to the group outside the store. He saw her, in her ridiculous pizza costume dancing around and making a complete fool of herself.

And he saw her smiling, so brightly.

Inuyasha felt a slight pang in his chest at the sight of her. 'What the hell?' He thought, looking back at Kagome who was now holding hands with a little boy and dancing to some sort of techno-fied version of a waltz with him.

'Kagome… you goof…'

He felt his mouth tug itself into a smile.

--

The old woman sat herself down in a chair across from Inuyasha and his mother. He noticed she only had one eye. The other was covered by a black patch. She had long grey hair that flowed far past her shoulders. She was old and wrinkled.

She called herself, Kaede… the witch-doctor…

"Well, it seems to me that there is a cure."

Izayoi's face lit up hopefully.

"It has its price, of course, but from the sounds of it, this disease that is eating away at your son was brought on by the curse Tsubaki set on your husband."

Inuyasha nodded.

Kaede turned behind her and grabbed a pill bottle that held a large pink orb inside. The orb almost seemed to be glowing.

"This is the answer…" Kaede spoke softly. "It has the power to cure Inuyasha." She said flatly.

"How?" Inuyasha demanded.

"Inuyasha, it would make you human… This jewel has the power to remove all the demon blood from your body and make you a full human…"

Inuyasha quirked an eyebrow. 'Me… become human?'

"And how would this cure the disease?" Izayoi asked.

Kaede sighed and adjusted herself in her seat. "Well, the virus is only affecting the bonds between the demon and human DNA in his system. Get rid of the bonds and the virus has nothing left to destroy. It's only wired to attack a hanyou. Not a human…"

Inuyasha gulped as Kaede handed the pill bottle to him.

"I think it's a splendid idea!" Izayoi said, tears springing to her eyes. "You're going to be okay, honey…" She whispered to her son.

Inuyasha looked at her through the corner of his eye. "Yeah…" He said flatly. He studied the orb in his hand carefully as he tossed his options around in his head. Sure, it would save his life. However, Inuyasha couldn't escape the feeling that this jewel wouldn't save him.

"But what about the curse?" He asked Kaede the instant the question popped into his mind.

"The curse will be broken, of course. Tsubaki said it herself. Once you can be truly accepted, the curse will be lifted. Inuyasha, you'll be accepted as a human…" Kaede spoke slowly.

--

AN: Sorry that most of this is a flashback… I figured I needed to give Kikyou a break. I already feel bad for making her out to be the antagonist of the story… which she technically isn't… it's more Tsubaki's curse. So, here'd my great explanation of what happened between the two of them. For those of you that guessed it was jealousy over Inuyasha… you were almost right. I know I didn't make anything obvious… or even apparent in the chapter that I challenged you all in. In my head, the thing was that Kikyou was already mad at Kagome when she and Inuyasha talked… So, what she told him was not for her own benefit entirely, but also just some way to get back at her friend who betrayed her. It's weird… the whole Kikyou and Kagome thing reminds me of Kikyou and Inuyasha… Hah!

Thing with the dancing pizza slice… I saw this today! Some guy was standing outside Liberty Mutual dressed in that Statue of Liberty costume they were and was break dancing! I almost had a wreck! Haha. I was laughing so hard. I had the idea to put Kagome in a pizza slice costume and have her stand outside and dance or something earlier, but I decided against adding it to the story… then after witnessing what I witnessed, I felt I had to do it!

I had a tiny thing to mention. Though this story isn't really anywhere near it's end, I have already got another story in the works. It won't be very long… maybe 7 or 8 chapters tops. And I really have the whole story planned out and I thought maybe I could just post it, but then again… I don't want to get so wrapped up in it that I completely forget about this story until it's done. So, it's not going to be up anytime soon, but be prepared ladies (and possible gents). It's going to be… nothing but pure angst. Inu-angst. I feel that there are so many AU stories about _Kagome_ and her experience of falling in love with Inuyasha. I mean, there are plenty of stories that go the other way around and I am no exception to the abundance of writers that make stories like that. However, this one will be a more Inuyasha-centric story with Kagome falling into his life.

I don't want to reveal the plot because I need to save something for my great big AN at the end of this story. But let me just say this, if you want to at least get a feel for what brought all of this on… listen to "Flowers for a Ghost" by Thriving Ivory. Heard the song for the first time last night… cried for the next hour and then decided I _needed_ to write an angsty, sad story… that's just as heart-wrenching as that damn song.

Not that I was crying because of Inuyasha… It's a little more personal. Haha.

Oh and I noticed I hadn't really said this yet, but it definitely needs to be said… **thank you everyone for all the reviews!** I can't believe I've already received so many!

Please review! I love to know what you guys think!

Love Always,

Patche


	11. Kind of Like Cinderella

I Stole Your Soul

**By: **Patche

**Disclaimer: **I, Patche, do not own Inuyasha, any of its characters or the lyrics to "This Is Twice Now" by Lydia (which will never be used in the story, but were great inspiration for the story)

**Chapter Eleven: Kind of Like Cinderella**

--

Inuyasha sat perched atop the school's roof during his lunch hour. It was quiet; he enjoyed the silence for a change.

Kikyou hadn't been to school since he yelled at her in the cafeteria. However, Inuyasha felt sitting at his usual table was a risk he wasn't willing to take today. Besides, he knew this was where Kagome had run off to once Kikyou offended her.

His gaze travelled from the skyline to the ground beneath him. He didn't know why, but he felt like his mind wouldn't be made up, no matter how much debating back and forth he did. Of course the boy wanted to live. He wanted a shot at life without the curse Tsubaki bestowed upon him and his family. However, what if becoming human didn't save him? After all, if the curse was out to kill him, it would find other methods rather than a virus that kills half demons. And if he was a human, he'd only be more vulnerable than he was now…

But, the curse would be broken once he was truly accepted…

_"You'll be accepted as a human…"_

He could become a human and be rid of the virus and the curse that plagued his friends. He could…

Inuyasha sighed. 'I could live… a little longer than just a month and a half… I could tell Kagome…' He felt the familiar pang that assaulted his chest when he thought of her. Those big brown eyes that seemed to look at everything and everyone as if it were more precious than anything. That long black hair…

Her smell… the wild infusion of lavender and vanilla that sent his brain into a mad rush.

'Damn it…' He mentally cursed realizing he let his mind run away from him once again. It seemed to be an everyday occurrence lately.

Inuyasha felt troubled by his sudden feelings for Kagome, though. He recalled feeling nothing but a sense of loathing for her until he discovered her identity. So, were all these newfound feelings simply because he discovered she was the girl he'd been hoping to cross paths with once again since he was seven years old? Did he only care about _that_ girl and not Kagome herself?

He shook his head remembering that smile that sent his world aflame. Seeing her smile… That was Kagome… Not just the girl he saved. And he loved seeing that smile.

Inuyasha groaned. 'What the hell? Quit thinking about her!'

The way she felt when she linked their arms together after their date with Ayumi and Kuro…

'STOP thinking like that!'

The way her lips tasted faintly of a minty strawberry and how he was dying to taste it once more…

'QUIT IT!'

"Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha turned and saw Kagome standing in the doorway to the roof of the school.

"What are you doing here?" She asked carefully, taking a step toward him.

"I just wanted some fresh air… what's your excuse?" He grumbled, turning his attention from her.

Kagome sighed and sat down a few feet from him. "This is where I've been sitting." She said, looking out at the skyline. "You're the intruder, you know?"

"Keh!" Inuyasha stuck his nose in the air. "I ain't intruding. It's my roof just as much as it is yours."

"Are you hungry?" Kagome asked, ignoring his remark. He turned his head to find her offering the contents of her bento box to him. "I'm feeling a little full." She said quietly.

"No…" Inuyasha trailed off.

Kagome nodded and set the bento box beside her as she looked out at the cityscape from the rooftop. Their school really was high off the ground. One could see most of the city skyline from the rooftop, which was commonplace in most high schools.

Kagome always enjoyed the view, even when she'd subjected herself to sitting with her friends at lunch. This was where she always came to sit when things in the cafeteria got a little… hectic. With such a social hierarchy as the one she found herself involved in, chaos erupted often enough…

"How did your play go?" Inuyasha asked.

Kagome smiled softly at his memory and placed her hands in her lap. "It was okay. Nothing spectacular." She shrugged. "Houjo ended up forgetting most of his lines… I wouldn't have minded if his improvising was decent." She sighed. "The boy really has no reason to be acting."

"Then why would you give him the main part?"

"Because I…" Kagome whipped her head around. "Wait, how did you know he had the main part?"

Inuyasha blinked and felt his cheeks growing hot. "I… lucky… guess…?"

Kagome arched her brow in disbelief.

"Fine! I saw the stupid play…" Inuyasha muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

Kagome tilted her head to the side, softening her eyes. 'He came… to the play?'

"Why do you have to look at me like that?! It had nothing to do with you, ya know!?"

Kagome smiled softly at his horrible defense tactic.

'Damn it… why does she always have to smile… at EVERYTHING I say?'

"I just think it's… nice…" She said letting the smile slowly fade from her features. "I didn't think you'd come to see it."

"I thought it was a little better than okay." Inuyasha muttered, looking away from her. "I mean, aside from Hobo's acting, it was good."

"His name's Houjo…" Kagome corrected him, flatly, so irritated that the giddiness she felt over the fact that Inuyasha had seen the play had been completely erased from her mind.

"Whatever. I'm paying you a compliment, woman! Thank me rather than correct me, why don't you?!"

"That's hardly a compliment. I cast Houjo, you know!"

"Well why would you cast someone with such horrible acting abilities?!"

"Because I felt bad for him…" Kagome said softly, pulling her arm up to her chest. "He really wanted the part.."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. 'Stupid girl… going around screwing up plays all because she feels bad for stupid boys…'

"Come on…" Inuyasha stood. "Lunch is over now."

--

'Winter Formal THIS WEEKEND!' A sign plastered against the wall read beside Kagome's locker. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow reading it.

'I could take off work… and maybe…'

He turned to Kagome who was hurriedly digging through her locker.

"Hey…" He started, catching the girl's attention. Kagome blinked her big brown eyes in curiosity at the hanyou.

Inuyasha merely stared at her, an assortment of expressions running through his face as he tried his best to summon the words from his mind and to his tongue.

'Damn it! What am I, nervous or something? Come on! It's Kagome… You can ask _her_!'

"Well what is it?!" Kagome asked, a hint of irritation underlying her tone.

"I…" Inuyasha managed to get out.

"Higurashi!"

Kagome and Inuyasha turned their heads to find the red-headed, blue-eyed, constantly smiling, Akitoki Houjo headed their direction, waving giddily at Kagome.

'Great…' Inuyasha thought bitterly.

"Houjo-kun…" Kagome started.

"Higurashi!" Houjo shouted once more as soon as he caught up to Kagome. He bent over, panting wildly to catch his breath.

'What a wimp…'

"I had a question to ask you!" He shouted excitedly, picking his head up. "The winter formal is this weekend, I'm sure you know…" He began, a soft blush gracing his cheeks as he looked away from Kagome nervously.

'Oh he better not…' Inuyasha thought angrily.

"I know about it, yes…" Kagome said softly, reaching behind her and closing her locker.

"Well, I was thinking… I really thought we had some fun with the play and you know, maybe… it would be… nice… for us… to… go… as… dates?" Houjo stammered, twiddling his fingers as he spoke.

Kagome's eyes widened and she quickly turned to Inuyasha, who was seething in Houjo's direction. 'Geez… what's wrong with him?' She thought, turning back to Houjo.

"Umm…" She started.

"I- I know you might still be upset over Kouga, but I can promise you, Kagome, it'd be so much fun!" He shouted eagerly. "Please?"

Kagome smiled weakly at the boy before her and placed a hand on his shoulder. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, waiting as anxiously as Houjo for her answer.

"That'd be great…" She said softly. "Thank you."

Houjo smiled widely. "Great! See you Saturday night then, Kagome. Bye, Inuya…" He blinked in bewilderment noticing the empty spot beside Kagome where Inuyasha once stood. "He was here, right?" He asked.

Kagome gasped and looked beside her. "Yeah…" She said, looking around for him. She felt her face fall slightly into a frown at the realization that he'd left her.

--

"Inuyasha and Kagome seem to be getting along much better…" Miroku mumbled mindlessly to the woman beside him. Izayoi smiled as she rolled out the dough for a pizza order she had to fill.

"Yes, they are. I think it's wonderful." She said, sounding cheerful.

Miroku sighed, leaning against the preparation table. "You know, I was a little worried at first…"

Izayoi raised her head in curiosity.

"I mean that maybe Inuyasha would stay with Kikyou…" He finished, looking out into the parking lot from the window.

Izayoi chuckled lightly. "Well why would that worry you?"

Miroku smirked. "Well then all those double dates with Sango and Inuyasha that I've been fantasizing about would be no fun…" He joked.

Izayoi shook her head. "You are just so ridiculous sometimes, Miroku…"

The man beside her sighed. "I know, I just really can't help the fact that the woman has the most alluring bottom I've ever laid eyes on…"

Izayoi chortled. "_This_ is why you fantasize about taking Sango on dates?!"

Miroku waved her off. "Well, it is a little more than just her bottom…"

Izayoi nodded. "So, when are you going to tell her?"

Miroku arched an eyebrow. "Tell her what?"

"That you like her…for more than just her derriere." Izayoi answered, cutting the circular shape from the dough and smothering it in tomato sauce.

Miroku pursed his lips. "Well, I didn't actually have any plans of telling her…"

"And why not?"

"I just have the tiniest suspicion that with my previous behavior… she wouldn't take me seriously and wouldn't trust me anyhow." He shrugged. "I'm not complaining. I made my bed… I just wish I could control this damned hand of mine…" He murmured playfully, grabbing his right hand. "I swear it's cursed."

Izayoi smirked and patted him on the shoulder as the door chime rang through the restaurant.

"I think it's worth a shot, don't you?" She asked, winking at the boy.

Miroku cleared his throat and looked at the silhouetted figure walking through the doorway. He immediately recognized the hourglass shape as Sango's and mentally cursed her perfect timing.

"Sango…" Miroku said, smiling. He approached her and grabbed her hand. "You are looking lovely as ever, my darling…" He murmured, placing a delicate kiss on the hand in his grasp.

Sango felt her cheeks heat up at the gesture, but quickly yanked her hand from him. "Same to you…" She muttered, hiding her blush and moving hurriedly away from the boy before her.

Miroku sighed and turned to Izayoi, throwing his arms up in obvious defeat at the scene that had just unfolded.

'I told you…' He mouthed, his infamous smirk still etched across his lips.

--

"Inuyasha, dear…" Izayoi spoke softly as she stepped out from the kitchen to find her son sulking behind the counter. It was a Saturday evening, the night of the Winter Formal. Izayoi knew of the dance. Inuyasha had mentioned how badly Kikyou wanted to go a few months ago.

Inuyasha picked his head up and turned in the direction her voice had come from, raising his eyebrows in question.

"Why didn't you go to the dance?" She asked, approaching him.

"I didn't want to…" Inuyasha mumbled.

Izayoi scoffed. "Now, I don't believe that… You were looking at suits to wear just a few days ago! What happened?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Kikyou and I broke up, Kagome decided to go with Hoblow and _I_ have to work."

Izayoi quirked an eyebrow. "Hoblow?"

Inuyasha chortled. "I don't remember the dickbag's name… All I know is I was _going_ to see I she wanted to go with me." He closed his eyes, feeling slightly ashamed for revealing so much information… even to his mother.

Izayoi stared at her son with bewilderment. "You wanted to go with Kagome?" She asked. "I thought you barely even liked her, though."

Inuyasha sighed and slumped his shoulders. "I didn't like her. I hated her. Then I found out who she was…"

"Who is she?"

"She's not everything Kikyou made her out to be. She's nice… too nice for her own good and she's modest and humble and just…" He brought his forehead down to the palm of his hand. "She's the girl I saved…"

Izayoi's eyes widened. "She's the girl from… way back then?"

Inuyasha nodded.

"Well why are you sulking about it? She's the girl! You found her! And it's Kagome, and you don't hate Kagome anymore…" Her excitement was an unwelcomed change to Inuyasha's ears and he quickly flattened them.

"I'm dying, mom…" He said flatly. "And Kagome's been obsessing over this kid that saved her like he was her damn soul mate! If she knew it was me…" He shook his head before continuing. "She'd just hate me."

"Now, I know that's not true. You've got the Shikon Jewel. You'll become a human and you'll be fine and healthy and you can be with Kagome. Why are you making this so difficult?" Izayoi asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"Because I'm not using it."

Izayoi took a step back, away from her son. "What?"

Inuyasha breathed in raggedly. "I said, I'm not using it. I'm not going to become a human…"

"Inuyasha! Why?!"

He paused for a moment, searching for his rational explanation as to why becoming a human would only make matters worse. He knew his mother wouldn't be convinced with his oh-so logical 'it'll make me more vulnerable' argument. And so, he remained silent.

"Let's just make another appointment with Kaede-sama… and then we can see if she can find any other possible solution. Plus, Myoga-jii-chan is looking for a cure as well. I understand if you just want to wait and see what other options you'll have. But, I'm not letting you give up like this, Inuyasha. You're my son…" She moved closer to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "I love you more than anything in this whole world. I'd be lost without you." He winced at the sound of her voice breaking and felt a tear drop onto his shoulder.

"Alright…" He said, his voice raspy.

Izayoi pulled back from her son, and smiled down at him. "You know…" She began. Inuyasha caught the glint in her eye that suggested he was scheming something ridiculous up. "I think I'm going to go home. I'm not feeling all that great… Do you think you can handle it?"

Inuyasha nodded, letting out a yawn. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

Izayoi nodded. "Alright. Goodnight, darling."

--

"Oh wow!" Akitoki squealed, as Kagome came to the door. She was dressed in a long, pink gown that poofed out slightly at the waistline. The dress had no straps, but still modestly emphasized her chest. Her hair was loose and curled into large ringlets. A few had been pinned back, away from her face.

She smiled, holding her hand out for him to take.

"You look amazing…" Akitoki said, breathlessly as he reached up to grab her hand.

Kagome felt herself blush. "Well, thank you… You look really nice yourself." She said, winking at him.

Akitoki led her from her doorstep and onto the driveway, smiling goofily. "So, where shall we eat?" He asked.

Kagome bit her bottom lip, racking her brain for food. She wanted to go to Taisho's… She knew Inuyasha was there and for some reason, she was dying to see him tonight.

"What about Hiroo? I hear that one's really nice…" Akitoki suggested.

"Akitoki, that place is ridiculously high priced!" Kagome exclaimed, grabbing at his arm.

Akitoki waved off her concern. "It's okay. I can handle it, Kagome."

Akitoki ran over to the other side of his car as they approached it and quickly opened the passenger door for Kagome.

She turned and smiled at him, approaching the opened door and climbing inside the car. Akitoki rushed to the other side and quickly climbed into the driver's seat. He started the engine and pulled out of the driveway.

"Do you know where it is?" Kagome asked him, inspecting the interior of his car. It was a nice car. Clearly, newer. It wasn't a car a teenager was supposed to be driving, but from the way Akitoki drove… she could tell this wasn't his father's car.

"I do. It should be just on the other side of the expressway."

Kagome nodded. She guessed that was right. She'd never been to Hiroo. She'd only heard of how nice a restaurant it was. Usually celebrities were spotted there. She thought it was a little strange that she, the daughter of a famous musician, didn't know about Hiroo and had to find out from wealthier students in her class.

It was a misconception that she would have so much money because of who her father was. No one took into account that her parents had spent the money long before she was old enough to see a dime of it.

Akitoki began his merge onto the expressway just as she heard her phone ringing from inside her clutch.

"Oh?" She said aloud, opening the bag and pulling out her phone.

'Izayoi' read across the screen.

"Hello?" She asked, answering the phone. She listened to Izayoi for a moment, before a smile slathered itself across her face.

"No, I understand… that's fine… Yes, I can…"

"Fell better!" She said before closing the her phone.

"Something wrong?" Akitoki asked, looking over at Kagome.

She sighed. "We're going to have to turn around. Izayoi got really sick at work and she needs me to come in and cover for her…" Kagome reached out and touched his arm. "I'm really sorry…"

"They can't call anyone else in?" Akitoki asked, feeling disappointed in the turn of events.

Kagome shrugged. "She said she called Sango already and Rin's been sick for a while now…"

Akitoki sighed and nodded, taking the first exit from the expressway. "You want me to take you home?" He asked.

Kagome shook her head. "Just drop me off there…"

--

Inuyasha's head shot up at the sound of the door to the shop opening. 'A customer?' He rushed from the kitchen where he was taking one of his usual naps and into the waiting area to find Kagome looking around the store, a confused expression on her face.

"Kagome?" He asked, taking in the sight of her. She was still dressed for the winter formal. Inuyasha blinked, too shocked to believe any of it. She looked beautiful.

"Izayoi made it sound like an emergency on the phone. Did you take care of everyone?" Kagome asked, noticing him.

"What are you talking about?"

"Your mom called me. She said she was sick and you were very busy and that I had to come right away."

'So, that's what she was up to…' Inuyasha thought to himself. He sighed. "We haven't been busy at all…" He said dryly.

Kagome nodded.

"So, you can go back to the dance, you know…" Inuyasha turned and headed for the kitchen once again.

"I'd rather be here…" Kagome mumbled, sitting down on the counter.

Inuyasha raised his brow. "Here? You'd rather be here than dancing with your precious Homo?"

"It's Houjo…"

"Whatever!"

Kagome nodded, pursing her lips as she did so. "Well, yeah… I feel kind of bad, he was so excited."

"Weren't you?" Inuyasha took a seat in the chair beside the counter.

"Not to go with him, no…"

"Then who…" Inuyasha trailed off, conflicted with his decision on whether or not he actually wanted to hear her answer.

Kagome smiled softly. "I think…" Her cheeks began to blush. "It would have been fun to go with you."

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "Me?" He asked.

Kagome bit her lip and nodded. "Well, yeah. You're fun to be around… sometimes. Plus, you're like the only person in school I can even stand to talk to anymore…" She chortled. "Kind of ironic…"

Inuyasha chuckled with her as he stood up from the chair before he spoke. "Well, we are alone, you know… and it isn't all that busy…" Kagome felt her face growing hotter by the second.

Inuyasha held out his hand to her, looking away, a faint color of pink gracing his cheeks.

Kagome grinned eagerly and nodded, taking his hand with hers and standing from the counter. Inuyasha pressed his hands at her waist and felt her bring herself closer to him. 'Kami… I don't think I can do this…' He thought to himself, feeling silly for getting so flustered over the girl. His heart was racing as she brought her arms around his neck and she looked up at him, smiling.

"I'm sorry my mom ruined your dance…" Inuyasha mumbled.

Kagome shook her head. "Stupid, this is even better…" She said, pressing her head against his chest in an effort to hide her insanely red face from him. Her heart raced as they swayed back and forth to the silence of the restaurant.

--

AN: …fluff? Haha… I figured it was necessary since things start to… happen… after this… You all are going to hate me so much!

Please review! I love to know what you guys think!

Love Always,

Patche


	12. Meet The Demon

I Stole Your Soul

**By: **Patche

**Disclaimer: **I, Patche, do not own Inuyasha, any of its characters or the lyrics to "This Is Twice Now" by Lydia (which will never be used in the story, but were great inspiration for the story)

**Chapter Twelve: Meeting the Demon**

--

Kagome lazily chewed her bubble gum as she listened to Kuwashima-sensei lecture on and on as she often did. She took a deep breath and glanced at Inuyasha out of the corner of her eye for what seemed to be the nine-thousandth time of the class. He had fallen asleep long before Kuwashima even began her lecture.

Kagome mentally groaned, turning her head away from him.

'What's wrong with me anyway?' She began tapping her foot impatiently. 'I just wish he'd wake up. This class would go by so much faster if he was conscious…' She rolled her eyes.

Kagome felt her head instinctively turning in his direction once more. 'Ugh, I'm such a stupid girl… I just can't stop thinking about him now… first the kiss, then the dance…'

'I'm hopeless…'

"So, everyone team up with your lab partner and you all can answer these questions I have on the board regarding the lecture…" Kuwashima spoke, gesturing to the ten questions she'd written on the board prior to class.

'Crap!'

Kagome scooted her chair beside Inuyasha and lightly cleared her throat, hoping it would wake him.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome said, nudging him with her elbow.

"Ow! What the hell, Kagome?!" Inuyasha barked at the rude awakening.

"Inuyasha… we have to work on these questions together…" Kagome started, gesturing to the board. Inuyasha took a moment to read them over, then raised an eyebrow.

"Umm… in case you didn't put the pieces together yourself, I was sleeping through this entire lecture… What do you expect me to do?"

Kagome sighed. "Well, I was spacing off." She looked at him guiltily. "We're done for…" She let out a huff and lay her head on the desk pitifully.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at her dramatic display. "Well, it's your fault for spacing out. Maybe you should pay more attention. You can't depend on other people like that, you know…"

Kagome scoffed, preparing herself for the tongue-lashing she was about to bestow upon her half demon friend, but bit her tongue… and decided that maybe, for once, he had a point.

--

"Well, we're done… we failed. Finito. It's all over…" Kagome sighed exasperatedly as she and Inuyasha left the classroom.

"You are such a drama queen, you know? It was a worksheet. It's probably worth like ten points tops! You'll be fine, trust me." Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest as they began to walk to lunch together.

Kagome slumped her shoulders. "I guess you're right." She murmured, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

"What's with you and admitting defeat all of the sudden? You're usually so spunky."

Kagome shrugged in response.

"Is it all because of that dance?"

She felt her face heat up at his question. Inuyasha had stopped and Kagome took a few more steps before coming to a halt as well and turning to face him. He was smirking so confidently. He had been dying to mention their moment the past weekend. She could just tell by the expression. He'd finally let it out…

"Um… no, it has nothing to do with that. I just feel like some arguments aren't even worth it with you." Kagome said, trying her best to hide her crimson face. Inuyasha's smirk only grew as he took steps toward her, slowly closing the distance between them.

Kagome looked up at him, her eyes filled with more emotion than he could even begin to recognize.

His smirk faded as he grabbed her chin to force her eyes on his. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped himself, chewing on his lip for a moment as he tossed the thoughts around in his head.

Kagome's eyes remained locked on his, confusion setting in.

"Look, I kind of… need to tell you something…" He started, avoiding her gaze for half a second while he recollected his thoughts. "You're…"

"Hey mutt! Get your filthy half demon hands off Kagome!"

Inuyasha sighed, releasing his grip on Kagome's chin. "I should've figured this guy would show up again at some point…" He murmured, stepping away from the girl and walking toward Kouga.

"You have a problem, wolf?!" He shot dangerously.

Kouga chortled. "Yeah, I do. I'm here to get Kagome back. I can't really do that all too well with your disgusting hands all over her, now can I?" He asked, pushing past Inuyasha, taking long strides to Kagome.

Kagome glowered at the boy before her. "What do you mean, 'here to take me back?' Are you crazy, Kouga? _I_ dumped _you_ because you're too much of a prick for my liking!"

"I'm a prick?" Kouga asked incredulously. "You never even gave me a chance, Kagome! You never gave me a chance to show you what I was all about!"

Kagome scoffed. "Which was what? Your guitar? Your motorcycle? Going to the beach with your friends? What are you _all about_, Kouga?!" She shot back, crossing her arms over her chest.

Kouga scowled. "You know, I really gave a damn about you. You weren't going to be just another fuck!"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "How fortunate for me…"

Kouga growled, yanking Kagome's arm from her chest and pulling her closer to him.

"Kouga, just get away from her, okay? She obviously doesn't want to be around you right now…" Inuyasha intervened, deciding it had gone too far once he started grabbing at Kagome.

Kouga scoffed. "Why don't you just mind your own business, mutt? Kagome can make decisions all by herself and I'm pretty much positive neither she, nor any other sane woman on the planet would go for something as atrocious as yourself…" He placed his hands on his hips, feeling proud of himself.

"You jerk!" Kagome shrieked as a loud slap echoed through the hallway. Kouga held a hand to his reddened cheek, gawking at the girl before him.

Kouga and Inuyasha both turned to the girl, identically shocked expressions adorning their faces.

"Don't talk to Inuyasha like that!" Kagome sneered.

"Why you little bitch!" Kouga snarled, grabbing Kagome's arm. "What the hell gave you the right to slap me?!" Kagome strained to get out of his grasp, but failed. Inuyasha lunged at Kouga, attempting to punch the wolf. Kouga grabbed his forearm with his free hand and threw Inuyasha down to the ground. He turned his attentions back to Kagome noticing the half demon wasn't moving from his spot. Kouga whipped her around so she was pinned against the wall. She looked up at him with frightened eyes.

She heard a low growl coming from Inuyasha's direction and looked out to see he was standing again. The relief she felt was soon washed over with panic as she took sight of the boy. Inuyasha's face had completely transformed.

His eyes were no longer the soft amber orbs that they once were. Instead, his eyes were bloodshot, with thin teal slits for his pupils. His cheeks were now coated with two jagged purple stripes. His fangs and claws had grown at least half an inch.

He was far from himself.

"Get… away… from her…" He seethed in an eerie threat.

Kouga let out a chuckle. "Hah! Your face may have changed, Yasha, but you're still just as pathetic as before…" He said, tightening his hold on Kagome's wrists.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted.

Kouga let Kagome down from the wall and cracked his knuckles, his eyes glued to Inuyasha's. Inuyasha smirked and charged toward Kouga who eagerly accepted the challenge, but was caught off guard by the demon's tactics. Inuyasha headed for him, his claws ready to strike.

Kouga wasn't moving, however.

Kagome shrieked and without thinking, threw herself in between the two demons. She heard Kouga running off and mentally cursed him as she winced, preparing herself for an attack. She felt his claws graze over the skin of her face, before all force in the hand vanished. Kagome opened her eyes hesitantly and looked upon the face before her.

"Kagome?" She heard Inuyasha ask. His eyes had returned to their normal hue of gold and the stripes across his cheeks had disappeared.

"Inuyasha!" She shouted, wrapping her arms around him. Inuyasha stumbled back at the sudden weight, but returned the hug, reluctantly.

"Kagome… What are you still doing here?" She heard him ask.

Kagome blinked in confusion and pulled away from him. "What do you mean?"

Inuyasha chortled. "I could have killed you, you know! Why didn't you run away?!" His voice sounded accusing. He was upset with her.

"Because you wouldn't have…" She said softly, almost inaudibly so.

"Inuyasha… let's take a trip to the principal's office… shall we?"

The two of them turned their heads to find the assistant principal, Takemaru-sensei, glaring at the hanyou.

--

He had been suspended from school for a week. A whole week of nothing.

Inuyasha huffed, sitting on his bed. This is what his life had dwindled down to over the past few days… sitting in his room, brooding over everything. Certainly, any normal child would take the time off from school as a blessing and have great fun on his few days off. Inuyasha's mother was punishing him as well, however. Though she understood how little control Inuyasha had over his demon self, she felt that is was necessary to keep him under close watch. He lay down, his head at the foot of his bed as he made shapes out of the grooves in his ceiling.

'Whatever… she's just pissed off because my deadline is approaching so rapidly…' He thought, rolling over onto his side. The time away from school honestly wouldn't have been so bad if only he'd gotten to still see Kagome every day.

But for her own safety, she wasn't allowed in the house. Kagome was kind enough to collect Inuyasha's assignments for him and bring them to him every day. Izayoi would pick them up from the front door, then bring them to Inuyasha later on.

This had to be the cruelest thing to ever happen to him…

Aloud growl interrupted his thoughts. He glanced down at his stomach and groaned in agony. 'Ugh… don't… want… to get… up….'

He reluctantly sat up and sniffed the air for any smells indicating that his dinner was ready. However, he smelled nothing. Inuyasha furrowed his brow and stood to leave his room. He headed to the kitchen and didn't miss the lack of sunlight pouring through the windows in the hallway. It was already dark out.

He had been cooped up in his room all through the day.

He noticed a small note on the counter as he made his way to the kitchen.

_'Inuyasha, sweetie. There's ramen in the pantry that you can make for dinner. I was called in to work. I'll be back around midnight. Don't leave the house today, please. _

_Love Mom'_

'She has abandoned me…'

Inuyasha sighed, opening the pantry and pulling out a pack of instant noodles. He set the pack on the counter before bending down to the cabinet under the sink to retrieve a pot.

His ears twitched in annoyance at the sounds of the pots clanging together, but he could still make out the soft knocking he heard from the front door.

Inuyasha set the pot on the stove and turned, heading for the front door.

'Who the hell would be coming around now?' He thought grumpily, throwing the door open to reveal the ebony-haired, wide-eyed classmate that had been on his mind for the past month, now.

"Kagome?" He asked, bewildered by her presence at his door.

Kagome raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Inuyasha? What are you doing answering your door? Where's Izayoi?" She asked, remembering her strict instructions to stay away from Inuyasha.

He shrugged. "She went into work, I guess." He saw Kagome shift uncomfortably in his doorway. "What do you need?" He asked, his voice sounding harsher than he'd intended.

Kagome nodded. "I just came to give you your homework. We have a project that's due for Zoology, but I figured I can do it and just say we did it together or something, no big deal…" She said, holding out a small stack of papers to him.

"Oh…" He started, grabbing for them. "You don't have to do that, you know? I'm bored stiff as it is around here anyway…"

Kagome smiled at him. "Well, I was actually hoping you'd say that. I brought most of the stuff with me so maybe we could work on it together."

Inuyasha felt himself regretting his words at her eager expression. 'I didn't really mean to say that…'

"Great…"

Kagome nodded.

"Well, come in, then. I was making some food, but I guess this project is a much bigger deal…" He trailed off, moving out of the doorway so Kagome could pass through.

"Well, go ahead and eat." Kagome walked through and set a bag she'd been carrying on the kitchen table. "We have time."

Inuyasha felt his eyebrow twitch. "What kind of project is this, exactly?",

"Well…" Kagome took a deep breath. "We have to create a three-dimensional model of a frog's internal organs from out memory. We have a list of the names of organs we need to be sure to replicate, but the positioning, color, size, and all that has to come from our noggins."

"Great…"

Kagome chuckled at his lack of enthusiasm. "Well, that's what I said. But you need not fear, Inuyasha! I have the majority of it all planned out. I remember what these organs looked like from our dissection and I've already got a good idea of how we can make the frog."

"How?" Inuyasha turned back to his pot and turned the sink on, filling it with water.

"Well, paper mache?" Kagome suggested. "My mom is really good with it!"

"Sounds fine to me…" He mumbled, putting the pot on the already lit stove. "So, what did you need from me?"

"We just need to draw up a frog and put the organs where they belong."

"Sounds simple enough." He mumbled again. Kagome nodded, taking out a sheet of paper from her notebook. "I'll just sketch one up…"

Inuyasha leaned his back against the counter, watching her carefully draw the outline of the frog. Her eyes were fixated on the sheet of paper before her, so much so, that she didn't notice his eyes boring into her. He felt himself slipping into a daze.

"I really miss you."

He blinked, releasing himself from his reverie at the words he'd heard escape from Kagome's lips. She was staring up at him from the table.

Inuyasha stumbled to find words to speak, but couldn't for quite some time.

"And it's not just because Zoology is boring, either." Kagome added, blushing softly.

She let out a soft laugh and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, avoiding his gaze as she spoke. "I know it seems weird, but my life just seems so dull without your rude remarks and horribly attitude. I was kind of crushed when Izayoi told me to stay away from you." She took a breath and paused. "I'm sorry. I'm rambling on like an idiot! I don't know what's going on…"

Inuyasha cleared his throat and turned to his pot of boiling water on the stove. He softly opened the pack of noodles and poured them in, noticing Kagome had gone silent.

"Kagome, you don't mean all that…"

Kagome scoffed. "Of course I do! Why wouldn't I mean it?"

"Because you don't understand anything! You're just latching onto me because you're all pissed off with Kouga. Don't go trying to convince me that you like me or something…" His voice trailed off.

Kagome stood up from the table and walked over to him. She opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated, and grabbed Inuyasha's hand, catching the hanyou off guard.

"I do miss you. It has nothing to do with Kouga, okay?" She took a deep breath. "Inuyasha, I care about you so much! I really do…" She gave him a smile and noticed his amber eyes softening at the gesture. "I know you care about me, too… as much as you hate to admit it…"

Inuyasha chortled. "Keh…" He started, but was shushed by the glare on Kagome's face.

"Could you not ruin this?" She asked, feeling pathetic that she even had to ask. She sighed, releasing his hand. "Where's the bathroom?" She asked, looking around.

"Oh, right down the hall…"

Kagome nodded, and took off in the direction he'd pointed to.

--

She checked her reflection in the mirror once she'd finished.

'He doesn't like me, does he? What was I thinking?' She shook her head. 'Now he thinks I'm an idiot, probably…'

She ran a hand through her hair quickly, and turned out the light, leaving the bathroom. She heard Inuyasha noisily eating in the kitchen and was about to scold him for being so disgusting when she noticed a room to the right of the bathroom. She looked inside and saw the red comforter across the bed as well as a familiar poster that hung on the wall above it of _Sankkon Tessou. _She assumed this was InuKagome chuckled to herself. She'd never pictured Inuyasha was actually a fan of her father's music.

The sound of Inuyasha still loudly slurping noodles assured her that he wouldn't realize her absence as she carefully stepped into his room. As she walked through the doorway, she got a big wiff of _Inuyasha_ running through her nostrils. His scent was never very strong until this moment. It was a nice smell, though, to her surprise. It was clean and reminded her of rain.

She trudged onward, taking in the sights of his room for the first time, but stopped once her eyes fell on a familiar object laying on his nightstand.

'My handkerchief…' She thought, noticing the faded blood stain in the middle of it. 'He tried to wash it out?' She thought, walking over to it.

"Well aren't you a nosy one?"

Kagome whipped her head around to find Inuyasha standing in the doorway.

"Inuyasha… I… I'm sorry, I was just… curious…" She stammered.

He scoffed. "Whatever. It's not like I forbade you from coming in here." He said, walking closer to her.

"You kept it…" Kagome said softly, holding the cloth in her hands.

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah, I couldn't get the stains out, so I was just gonna buy you a new one."

Kagome sat down on his bed, placing the cloth on the nightstand once more. "You wouldn't have to. It's not like I ever needed it." She said as Inuyasha took a seat beside her.

"Well, I'd have to make it up to you somehow."

Kagome smiled. "No, I was happy to give it to you."

Inuyasha bit his lip, looking away from her.

Kagome turned her head back to the doorway and caught a glimpse of something hanging from the doorknob. It was a necklace.

She tilted her head to the side and peered out to get a better look at it. It seemed so familiar.

_"Kagome! I brought you this… it's from Australia. Can you say Australia?"_

_Kagome smiled, grabbing at the necklace in her father's hands._

_"Ah-ah… you have to say it." He teased._

_"Au-swa-ya…" She forced out, grabbing at the necklace again._

_"I guess that's good enough." He chuckled, placing the necklace around her neck. "It looks great on you!" He complimented the toddler, ruffling her hair._

"Inuyasha… what is that?" Kagome asked, a hint of worry underlying her question.

Inuyasha turned in the direction she was looking and felt his heart plummet to the bottom of his stomach. 'SHIT!'

Kagome stood from the bed and marched to the door, yanking the necklace off the doorknob and carefully inspecting it. It was her necklace… the one she'd given to the boy that saved her.

'That would mean, Inuyasha… was…' Her eyes widened. 'He must have been human that night…'

"Kagome…"

Kagome turned to him, waiting for an explanation.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" She snapped. "How could you…" She clenched the necklace in her hand. "You knew what he meant to me, Inuyasha!" She felt betrayed. Her eyes dared to well up with tears, but she stopped any from falling. Her only realy friend… didn't care about her… at all… "Why wouldn't you tell me?!"

Inuyasha stood from his bed, the words escaping his lips as he watched Kagome pull the door open.

"You really do hate me, then?" She closed her eyes as one tear drop fell down her cheek. "You couldn't tell me that you were the guy because… then… then I'd actually want to be with you or something, right?!" She sniffled and looked up at him.

"Kagome, you know that's not true!" Inuyasha shouted, finally finding his voice.

"Then what is true?" She asked. Inuyasha blinked, trying his best to open his mouth and explain himself without giving the fact that he was dying away. He couldn't tell her…

Kagome took his silence as an indicator that she was right and threw the necklace down on the ground, running as far away from him as she could get.

--

AN: Sorry it took me a while… I had writer's block kind of… Not really, I just did not feel like writing at all… and I was busy making Inuyasha amvs with my sony vegas. I really love this bad boy. If y'all want, you should totally watch some of them. They're on my youtube. It's under PrincessPatche…

Anyway, enough spam for one update… Sooo Kagome knows… and she ran away… dun dun dun! I hope her reasoning for running away is clear enough…

Oh, also... I made a mistake in the last chapter and mized up Houjo's name. For the record, Houjo and Akitoki are the same person... Akitoki is just his first name. So sorry...

I've been trying to be really good about my updates, but I'm afraid I will be leaving you all for a week. My spring break begins in a few days and I'm going on vacation for a week. I haven't decided if I'm bringing my computer or not, but even if I do, I probably won't have time to update this story. So sorry, everyone. I might update again between now and then… but chances are slim. But I promise, I'll get to it as soon as I get back!

Please review! I love to know what you guys think!

Love Always,

Patche


	13. Giving Up

I Stole Your Soul

**By: **Patche

**Disclaimer: **I, Patche, do not own Inuyasha, any of its characters or the lyrics to "This Is Twice Now" by Lydia (which will never be used in the story, but were great inspiration for the story)

**Chapter Thirteen: Giving Up**

--

Inuyasha kept his gaze on the ground as she ran through his door. He lowered himself to his bed, feeling nothing but an overwhelming sense of hopelessness rush through him.

This wasn't how he wanted to protect her. He wanted her to love that boy from her past just as she always had. He didn't want to tear her hopes of finding him like this.

'At least she can go and meet someone new… and she can let me go…' He thought to himself. 'Then it won't hurt so bad… when… I'm…'

He closed his eyes. 'Gods, she hates me. Why's it bothering me so much? I'm doing the right thing! I shouldn't chase after her. It'll only make things worse…' His eyes opened. 'But this hurts so much more than I thought it would.'

--

He was still missing from school. Kagome didn't expect his suspension to last more than a week. She asked Sango to take Inuyasha's homework to him if Kagome collected it from all her teachers and Sango agreed. She hadn't seen him at work yet, due to his ongoing punishment. However, Kagome assumed that when he did come back to work, she could ignore him… much like he did for the greater half of her first month there.

She was ridding herself of him entirely. She understood everything about the situation up until the night he kissed her. If he hated her so much, then why would he have done it?

'Maybe he just wanted to know what it was like to kiss the girl he'd saved…' Kagome sighed as she walked down the hall to the lunchroom. 'He was probably disappointed…'

She frowned. 'I need to pull myself together! Good grief! I need to just let him go… both Inuyasha and that stupid little kid that I've been obsessed with for so long. Who cares why he kissed me? It doesn't matter now, does it?'

She arrived at the cafeteria and saw Sango and Kikyou talking with each other at her old lunch table. Sango turned and caught her eye and smiled at Kagome. She ignored this gesture, however, and marched herself to the other side of the cafeteria, to a table she was most familiar with.

"And now they're going steady…" She caught as she sat down beside Ayumi and across from Yuka and Eri.

Ayumi smiled at Kagome's reappearance. Yuka stopped her sentence and turned to Eri, leaning into her ear. Eri chuckled at Yuka's words as Ayumi turned to Kagome.

"Kagome-chan! It's so nice to have you back!" Ayumi cooed, wrapping an arm around her friends' shoulders. "What brought you back to the table?"

Kagome presented them with a weak and entirely fake smile and shrugged her shoulders.

"She probably got sick of hanging out with the losers. She must have come to her senses…" Yuka murmured from across the table and receiving a giggle from Eri beside her.

Ayumi gasped and frowned. "You guys…" She scorned, but was thrown off by Kagome's light chuckle beside her.

"No, no, Ayumi. They're right. I mean, what was I thinking, hanging out with a hanyou and a total dyke? Hah!"

Yuka and Eri eagerly joined in on Kagome's awkward laughing fit, Ayumi, however remained unconvinced.

"Gosh, I missed you, Kagome!" Eri shouted as the three girls' laughter came to a halt. Kagome smiled at Eri and Yuka.

"Missed ya, too…" She said, biting back the sarcasm her mind desperately wished to lace with the comment.

'Oh man, what am I doing?'

"Oh, look… speaking of the devil… looks like the mutt is no longer suspended…" Yuka said, looking past Kagome. Kagome's eyes widened in shock and she quickly spun her head around to see what Yuka was referring to.

She felt her heart plummet to the bottom of her stomach at the sight of him. He was walking into the cafeteria, looking around carefully. His eyes fell on the table where Sango and Kikyou sat, yet, he didn't move to sit beside them. His eyes continued their scan around the cafeteria until they landed on her.

Kagome felt shivers run down her spine. He looked confused and… just so lost…

Kagome let out a 'hmph' and turned back to Eri and Yuka.

--

"Inuyasha?"

He turned at the sound of his name and noticed Kikyou and Sango both looking at him expectantly.

"Why isn't Kagome here?" He asked. He caught Kikyou frowning in disappointment at his words, but kept his eyes fixated on Sango, waiting for an answer.

"Isn't it obvious?" She asked, shrugging. "She's PISSED…"

Kikyou sneered. "Like it takes much to piss Kagome off…"

Inuyasha and Sango both ignored Kikyou's comment. "What did you do to her?" Sango asked, raising an eyebrow. Inuyasha gulped.

"What do you mean, 'what did he do?'?! What were they, an item or something?!" Kikyou shouted angrily.

"I don't know…" Sango said slowly, turning to look at her friend briefly. Her gaze shifted back to Inuyasha who just stared at the table guiltily.

Kikyou scoffed. "This is just ridiculous. You and I just broke up, you asshole!" She shouted, standing up from the table.

Sango raised a hand to stop her, but Kikyou ignored her friend and stormed away from the table. Inuyasha kept his gaze on the table, seeming unaffected by the world around him.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You're just breaking all the hearts you can, aren't you?" Sango asked, bewildered by her friend's odd behavior over the past few weeks.

Inuyasha sighed and glanced in the direction Kikyou had wondered off in.

"You'll find out soon enough…" He groaned, turning his back to her.

"What are you talking about?" Sango demanded, standing from the table. "Inuyasha, you haven't spoken to me since you got into some fight with Kouga a week or so ago! You did something to Kagome. She begged me to take your homework to you. You DUMPED your girlfriend that you loved more than anything… I mean, what the fuck?!"

Inuyasha clenched his fist and slammed it on the table, loud enough to startle Sango before he spoke.

"You couldn't even begin to understand it, Sango!"

Sango crossed her arms over her chest. "Really? Inuyasha, I lost my father and my brother. Kikyou's whole family is practically dead. Kagome lost her father… We know a thing or two about pain. You know that you could come to us with whatever freaking problems you had." Inuyasha's face softened as he took a seat across from the girl. "But, I know… Pushing us away definitely solves things."

"Fine! You want to know so badly, Sango?"

--

"So, you guys got into a fight, huh?" Eri asked. Kagome blinked.

"Eh… not exactly…"

"Well, it's pretty obvious that he was looking for you." Yuka added. "But, whatever… he needs to learn to keep his hands off Kouga's property…"

Kagome furrowed her brow and snapped herself out of the façade she'd only managed to put up for about two seconds in Yuka's company. "What did you just say?"

Eri scoffed. "Oh, come on, Kagome… You know you're going to get back with Kouga. We all know that. This whole Inuyasha thing was just some… rebellious phase."

"You were just trying to figure yourself out." Yuka added.

Kagome chortled. "Yeah, except there isn't anything to figure out!"

"Kagome-chan… it's nothing to lose your head about… We're just saying that we understand that you just needed to time to see what else the world had to offer… and Kouga will understand, as well." Eri spoke calmly.

Kagome scoffed, shaking her head. "What makes you think I want to get back together with him?"

Eri and Yuka exchanged confused glances. "Don't you?" They asked in unison.

Kagome groaned and stood up from the table. "You know… I think I suddenly remembered why I decided to hang out with Inuyasha in the first place." She turned and left their table, heading down the hall and to the library.

--

"Inuyasha…" Sango breathed out. Her hand was clasped over her mouth as she let his words sink in through her.

He sighed. "Yeah, I guess the reality of it all is… setting in…"

"Bu…but the shikon jewel! That'll save you. Why…"

Inuyasha shook his head. "No, it won't. This is because of Tsubaki's curse. The only solution is to… vanish. Then the curse won't reach those I care about at least…"

"What are you talking about?"

"The whole idea behind the curse is to bring the same pain that Tsubaki felt to my father by taking away the people he loved most in the world… me and my mom. But he was killed, instead. Now it's still after my mom and I… It'll get me first. Hopefully, she'll have a little longer than me. If I become human, then it'll just attack me with something even less powerful… and then I'll die anyway."

Sango groaned. "But why are you just giving up so easily?! You have things to live for! You have people that love and care about you so much! How could you let your mom suffer the way you know she will when you're gone? Huh?! What about me? What about Kikyou?! What about Kagome?"

Inuyasha felt a pang in his heart at the sound of her name.

"You know she loves you. I know it. She could have just not even bothered with your homework once she found out who you were. She could have not stood up to Kouga when he was picking on you…"

Inuyasha clenched his eyes shut. "You don't get it! If I do become a human and live through all this mess… then it'll just branch out to the people I love! The more I fight it, the more it will attack those around me… and I am not fucking losing Kagome like that!"

He caught a glimpse of Kagome rushing out the doors to the cafeteria and hurriedly jumped to his feet.

"But I'll go make things right… at least…" He said to Sango before rushing down the hall after Kagome.

He continued down the hall, skipping a bit as he tried to catch up to her, but was torn from his mission as the smell of salt filled his nose.

He turned his head to see Kikyou walking out of the girls' restrooms to his right. Her eyes and nose were red.

"Inuyasha?" She asked, her voice a raspy clue that she'd just finished sobbing in the room behind her.

His eyes softened.

"What? Did you follow me or something?" She barked. "Don't think this has anything to do with you, okay?!" She snapped again.

He took a step toward her, checking back to the hall to find Kagome opening the door to the library just down the hall from where he stood with Kikyou.

"I've never seen you cry before…"

Kikyou glanced up at him, wiping her eyes. "Yeah, well… it happens sometimes. The ice queen sheds her tears only for special occasions."

Inuyasha smirked and closed the distance between them. Kikyou was completely thrown off as she felt Inuyasha's arms wrap around her in an embrace she hadn't felt for weeks.

"I'm sorry, Kikyou. I didn't want to make you cry…" He whispered into her hair.

"Idiot! I told you… It has nothing to do with you…"

"Right." Inuyasha said, pulling away from her.

"So, you're two-timing Kagome, huh, mutt?"

Inuyasha felt his blood curdle at the voice behind him. 'Why does that son of a bitch have to pop up so damn much?'

--

Kagome turned to look out the window to the library at the sounds of yelling from in the hall. She saw Kouga, Kikyou, and Inuyasha all grouped together. Inuyasha and Kouga were the cause of the ruckus. She wasn't surprised.

'How could Yuka and Eri want me to be with him again? I mean, sure Inuyasha is a jerk, but Kouga does nothing but pick on the poor guy…'

The situation didn't seem dire until she saw Kouga raise his fist, as usual, and prepare to punch Inuyasha. But just as Inuyasha moved out of the way, his hair began to change from white to black. Kagome gasped in horror.

He was changing into a human.

'Oh no! He can't defend himself if he becomes a human. Kouga'll tear him apart!'

Kagome rushed out of her seat and to the door of the library, pushing it open and darting down the hall to him.

"Oh, guess that'll just make things a little easier…" Kouga smirked. Inuyasha turned to face him, preparing himself for any attack of Kouga's.

"Inuyasha!"

The two boys turned their heads in the direction of the voice. Inuyasha felt his heart pang as it had been for weeks upon seeing her.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, bewildered by the sight of her. 'Is she coming… for me?' His thoughts were cut short as Kouga slammed him into the ground and pinned him down.

"How the fuck could she want something like you?!" He sneered, pulling his arm back to deliver a blow to Inuyasha's face. Inuyasha grimaced, preparing himself.

"Kouga, don't!" Kikyou shouted, reaching up to grab his arm.

"You bitch!" Kouga shouted, pulling Kikyou toward him. He balled his second hand into a fist and punched her right in the chest.

Kikyou gasped and fell backward, releasing Kouga's arm.

Kagome gasped in horror as she'd finally arrived. "Kikyou!" She shouted, rushing to her side.

"You bastard…" Inuyasha groaned, pushing Kouga off him. "Get the hell off me!" He shouted as Kouga was finally pushed away from his body.

Kouga stood on his legs and seemed to snap back into reality as Inuyasha rushed to Kikyou's side. He had punched her. He punched a girl… Kouga growled at the pathetic sight and stormed off. He felt pitiful… and extremely guilty.

"Kikyou…" Kagome whispered as the girl's eyes fluttered open.

"You're awake?" Inuyasha asked. Kagome grabbed at her hand.

Kikyou blinked. "Huh… ye…yeah..." She said weakly.

"Come on. We need to take you to the nurse's office…" Kagome said, helping Kikyou to sit up. Inuyasha pulled her to help her stand and let her rest her body weight on Kagome. He rushed to her other side and helped to carry her down the hall.

"Why are you helping me?" Kikyou whispered as she used Kagome for support on their way to the nurse's office.

"Because I'm not as horrible of a person as you think I am." Kagome said simply. "You used to be my best friend, Kikyou. Things like that don't fade so quickly, you know?"

Inuyasha watched the two of them out of the corner of his eye and felt a sigh daring to escape his lips.

They had made it to the nurse's office in a short time and the nurse quickly found a bed for Kikyou while Inuyasha and Kagome sat in the waiting room during the duration of their lunch break.

"I'm sorry… about… Kouga…" Kagome said quietly. "I know all of this… it's always been my fault."

Inuyasha chortled. "Yeah, you should stop dating pricks…"

Kagome smiled weakly at his joke and turned her attentions to the desk in front of them.

Inuyasha felt his nerves going crazy. He had to talk to her.

"Listen, Kagome…" She turned her head to him. "I need to talk to you."

Kagome twisted her mouth and shook her head. "If this is about what happened a week ago, don't worry about it, okay? It's totally in the past…" She said, waving it off.

'Yeah, right…' Inuyasha thought, furrowing his brow. "No, I mean, it does… kind of, but it's something I've been meaning to tell you for a while now."

She turned her head back to the desk before her as he spoke.

"I want you to know that I… I've been looking for you since I was seven years old. I searched everywhere I could. I went back to that shrine to talk to you. I was so willing to risk you rejecting me once you learned I was a half demon. I just had to know who you were." He sighed. "When you told me who you were, I wasn't your biggest fan… I know that. But that's not what kept me from telling you who I was. I mean, I learned to like you… and now, you know, I'm really happy that you are the girl from so long ago…"

Kagome felt a smile tug at her lips. She looked up to face him as he continued. The eye contact set Inuyasha on edge again.

"I… I didn't tell you because we can't be together."

Kagome tilted her head. "But, why not?"

He clenched his eyes shut. 'Here's the hard part… shockingly enough…'

"That disease… the one that makes me transform like this so randomly…" He took in a deep breath. "It's going to kill me… very, very soon…"

--

AN: I had every intention of updating over my vacation, but things were a little hectic and I just could not bring myself to write. I'm so sorry, everyone. I'm also horribly sorry that this chapter is so short. I tried my best to add as much as I could, but the real juice is in the next chapter. Happy belated birthday to Angel Eyed Vampire. May this chapter be a small belated gift from me.

Please review! I love to know what you guys think!

Love Always,

Patche


	14. I Want To Be With You

I Stole Your Soul

**By: **Patche

**Disclaimer: **I, Patche, do not own Inuyasha, any of its characters or the lyrics to "This Is Twice Now" by Lydia (which will never be used in the story, but were great inspiration for the story)

**Chapter Fourteen: I Want To Be With You**

--

Kagome stared at him incredulously. Inuyasha paused and gave her a questioning look. "What?" He asked.

"You're joking, right? I have to admit, it's not a very funny joke."

Inuyasha sighed. "No. I'm not."

"You can't be serious, though. You're... dying?" Her eyes were wide as possible and her voice a barely audible whisper as she breathed the rest of her question. The solemn look on his face was enough proof that he wasn't lying to her. Kagome grimaced slightly and turned her eyes to the ground beneath them.

"Look, I know you-" Inuyasha began but was interrupted by Kagome.

"How long?" She barked. Inuyasha stared at her, confused by her question at first. Kagome balled her fists in her lap out of irritation. "I asked you how much longer you have, you moron!" She shouted.

"Maybe a week…" Inuyasha said somehow ignoring the harshness of her words.

Kagome felt her heart plummet to the depths of her body at his response. "A week…?"  
She whispered, touching her cheek to retrieve the tear that had fallen through the threshold of her eyelid.

"You idiot…" She mumbled. Inuyasha flattened his ears at her words.

"What?"

"I said you're an IDIOT!" Kagome shouted now. Inuyasha's eyes widened in horror at the girl before him as she slunk back, hiding her eyes from him. "Why didn't you tell me…" She whispered. "Why couldn't you have told me before I went and fell for you?"

'Fell for me?' Inuyasha asked himself as he stared bewildered by Kagome. He didn't know what to say. "Kagome…" He started, but she stood up from her chair and walked toward the door of the nurse's office.

"Where are you going?" He asked, getting up from his chair as well.

"Just stay away from me… okay?" Kagome said, her back to him as she pulled the door open and darted through the frame.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted, running to the door to slip through just before it slammed closed. He saw her running from him. He could smell the trail of salty tears she left behind her. He grimaced and took one last glance into the nurse's office before running after her.

--

The city was illuminated by half the sun as it set over the horizon beyond the tall buildings that surrounded her. Kagome had been in such a rush to escape from Inuyasha, she didn't exactly know where she was headed.

She sighed, wiping the dried tear streaks from her cheeks. 'Why do I have to keep running away?' She scoffed. 'Well why can't he just give me some good news for once?'

Crossing her arms, she slunk back against the wall of a nearby building to try to figure out just where she was exactly. 'Why does this city have to be so freaking big?' She groaned and pushed herself off the wall after coming to the conclusion that she really was lost. She pulled her cell phone from her pocket and opened it to call for help. The screen remained black.

"Great, you died…" She mumbled. "Figures…"

The streets were getting darker by the minute and Kagome was beginning to feel the panic of being lost in the big city rise.

Memories of her attempt to run away from home several years ago surfaced in her mind.

'Only this time, Inuyasha won't come to save me. I told him not to…'

She clenched her eyes shut. 'Come on… Kagome! You need to get home.'

But when she re-opened them, the city was still as familiar as before, only covered in shadows. She felt a whimper escape her throat as she hurried to a well-lit street in the distance.

She was fighting back the tears as the familiar feelings of hopelessness washed over her. Finding a nearby sidewalk, Kagome sat down against the curb and rested her head in her hands.

'Why am I here? Why am I such a pansy? I didn't even listen to whatever Inuyasha had to say… if I'd stuck around, I wouldn't be here right now…' She sighed and felt the first tear drip down her face. "I'm so stupid!" She sobbed aloud, content with the lack of people in the area. "Why did I have to run a…" She trailed off feeling something brushing against her bare arms. She gasped and looked down to find a black jacket draped across her shoulders.

'A jacket?' She looked behind her to find Inuyasha watching her. His brown eyes were soft and clearly filled with sympathy and remorse.

She sighed and clutched the jacket closer to her as he sat down beside her on the curb.

"You're not gonna run away?" He asked.

Kagome frowned and shook her head. "No… I'll only get even more lost."

Inuyasha chuckled and nodded, looking around their surroundings. "Yeah, you must have had quite the trip to get here." He smirked. "But, I know someplace you'll definitely recognize…." He stood, holding his hand out to her.

Kagome looked up at him wearily, but took his hand with hers and stood up beside him.

"It's not too far." He said, holding her hand as they walked down the street a few blocks in a comfortable silence. Kagome found it odd that she was so unbothered by his presence. She was mostly filled with a mix of surprise and relief that he'd actually followed her.

She gasped as he came to a stop and she saw across the street from them was the shrine she grew up in.

"Inuyasha…" She breathed out. "How did you…"

He shrugged. "I used to come here all the time looking for you, but I guess you moved right after our little meeting. I kinda memorized the route after all that."

Kagome sighed and felt her eyes watering again. Inuyasha stiffened at the smell of her tears and glanced down at her. "Why…" He started.

Kagome sniffled and clenched her eyes shut. "Why do you have to go?" She asked in a voice just a little louder than a whisper.

Inuyasha frowned, but didn't respond to her question. He turned his head up so he was facing the shrine, giving Kagome a view of only his profile.

"I want to be with you…" She began again. "I want to be with you so much it hurts! It always has. This didn't start when I found out who you were, Inuyasha…" She opened her eyes and turned to face him, only to find him staring at her at if she were growing another head. "It's just…" She groaned and wiped her face. "You care about me, too, right?"

"Kagome, stop…"

She gasped and felt her sobbing cease.

"I don't want to start this, okay?"

"Start what? Telling me the truth?!" She barked at him in her raspy voice.

"Giving you false hope…" He murmured. "I'm dying… what would telling you anything help?"

She sniffled and contemplated her answer for a moment. "If you did, and I knew… Then at least… we could be happy for a little while… even if it's only going to end."

"Kagome…"

"Just tell me, Inuyasha, please…" She whispered.

Sighing, he spoke, "Fine…" He furrowed his brow and turned to face her only to find her eyes were closed and her hands were up as if she were trying to keep herself calm. He sighed, tossing the words around in his mouth, before opening it to speak.

"I love you…" He muttered, rolling his eyes.

Kagome gasped and opened her eyes. "You what?" She asked breathlessly.

"Geez, don't make me repeat it wench! It was hard enough to say the first time around. Why are you so surprised? Isn't it what you wanted to hear?"

Kagome closed her eyes in disbelief. "You love me?"

"Yeah… that's why I kept all this from you. I didn't want you to get hurt… I told you that."

"Yeah, but you didn't tell me it was because you LOVED me!" Kagome shouted. Inuyasha sighed and turned away from her, embarrassed by his earlier statement.

Kagome sighed, glancing up at him out of the corner of her eye. "Hey…" She started, shyly.

"What?" Was his rude response.

"Would you… be with me… until… then…?"

Inuyasha raised his eyebrows and turned to the girl behind him, looking at him so honestly. She had a sadness to her features.

"You won't get hurt?" He asked.

Kagome shook her head. "I'd be hurt either way." Inuyasha sighed and ran a hand through his black mane.

"I'd like that."

--

"Sango… isn't Kagome supposed to be working tonight?" Miroku asked curiously from his perch on the counter. He scratched his head as the girl ignored him from across the restaurant. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen her around here much anymore. She didn't quit, did she?"

He was met with more silence.

"Sango. What's wrong? Are you mad at me or something?"

"I'm not." She said simply, continuing her chores around the shop.

Miroku sighed and hopped off the counter. "Well, what's wrong with you, then?" He asked, walking toward her.

"It's nothing." She whispered, furrowing her brow.

Miroku pursed his lips. "Right…" He said softly. "Well, if it were something, what would it be?"

Sango turned her head to him, an eyebrow quirked. "That made no sense."

Miroku chuckled. "I tried." Sango sighed and turned her head away from him, a tear gathering in her eye.

"Hey, hey…" Miroku said softly, turning her around to face him. "Sango…" He started.

She but her lip in an act to keep the tears from falling, but failed as Miroku pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around the girl.

"Sango… don't cry…" He whispered. She grabbed at his shirt, clenching her fists angrily as she failed in the battle with her tearducts.

"He's… he's dying…" She whispered.

"Who?"

"Inuyasha!" She wailed. "He's… he's been my best friend…" She sniffled. "It's so unfair, Miroku!"

He gasped. "He's dying."

"He's got some stupid disease… and he keeps pushing Kagome away from him and that's why she's been gone. He's just such an idiot!"

Miroku chortled. "Yeah, I know that." He sighed. "Maybe he'll get better, Sango."

She sniffled and nodded against his chest. "I hope so…"

--

Inuyasha chuckled as he and Kagome arrived in front of her house, their hands interlaced as they had been throughout the hour long walk.

"I think this is twice now…" He said, giving her a smirk.

Kagome smiled and nodded, but quirked her head to the side at the sight of him. "Hey… you changed back into a half demon." She said, reaching up to feel his dog ear between her fingers. "I didn't even notice it happen."

Inuyasha shrugged. "Me neither. Kind of weird…"

Kagome sighed and nodded as they stopped on her porch. "You know…" She started, taking his hand. "Whatever happens… I just want you to know…" She sighed. "I love you too." She finished, smiling at him.

Inuyasha grinned and leaned down to press his lips against hers. She smiled against his lips and reached her arms up, to wrap them around his neck as he pulled her closer, his arms clasped around her back. Kagome opened her lips ever so slightly and let her tongue brush against his bottom lip.

But just as he opened his mouth for her, a small jolt rippled through his veins and he quickly pushed himself away from her, grabbing his head in agony.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, reaching for him.

He stiffened. This had been how it felt when he transformed into his demon self, but it had never been so painful for him. He held a hand out to her as she tried to reach him again.

"Kagome…" He groaned as his knees gave out and he fell to the ground, still holding his head.

"Oh… I'll be right back!" She shouted, running inside to retrieve the phone and hastily dialing for an ambulance.

--

AN: I'm so so so so sorry! My world is just a little chaotic lately… and I really have been pushing myself to write this story. [That's how it always gets in the final stretch]. Again, a centrillion apologies! I'm just in no mood… to write… ugh.

Oh! But tell me some of my readers watched the last episode of Inuyasha! It was… AMAZING! I seriously have never been so pleased!

Please review! I love to know what you guys think!

Love Always,

Patche


	15. This Is Goodbye

I Stole Your Soul

**By: **Patche

**Disclaimer: **I, Patche, do not own Inuyasha, any of its characters or the lyrics to "This Is Twice Now" by Lydia (which will never be used in the story, but were great inspiration for the story)

**Chapter Fifteen: This Is Goodbye**

--

"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted, his eyes finally opening. He squinted them as the lights overhead disturbed his pupils as they were adjusting. He took in a sharp breath of air at the realization of where he was. A hospital…

Something happened, but what? The last thing he could remember was the incredible pain that washed over his body as he was about to transform, but… he wasn't in his demon form, was he?

He began to lift his arm, but was shocked to find it was much heavier than before. He felt weak. Weaker than he'd ever felt during his human night.

'I can't even lift my arm…' He thought pathetically, just as he caught something out of the corner of his eye. In the chair beside the bed he was sprawled on, he saw his mother, sleeping soundly. Her head rested against the back of the chair.

He frowned slightly at the sight of her.

"Oh, you're up…"

His eyes shot over to the doorway at the sound of Kagome's voice. He gasped.

She smiled at him and placed the soda in her hand on one of the moveable tables around the room.

"You're okay…" He breathed out. Kagome raised in eyebrow in curiosity, nodding in response to his question. "I didn't transform?"

Kagome sighed and sat down on the foot of his bed. "Sort of…" She said, quietly, her hands sitting in her lap.

Inuyasha raised himself to his elbows, as strenuous a task as it was for his current state. "What do you mean?"

Kagome hopped off the bed and grabbed her purse, pulling out her compact mirror and handing it to Inuyasha.

He looked at her curiously, then moved the mirror so he could see his reflection. The image was unlike anything he'd ever seen before. His hair was black with white streaks running along the top layer. His face had the two purple streaks running down his cheeks that were symbols of his demon form. His eyes were as amber as they were during his hanyou state of existence, but his dog ears atop his head had shifted down his face and into human ears.

His eyes widened in the pure horror of the beast staring back at him. He looked over at Kagome, his frightened gaze unwavering. 'This is what it means to be at the in between.'

His doctor's words echoed in his mind as he settled on the fact that this was the moment before the end.

Kagome's eyes softened at his expression. "Are- are you okay?" She choked out, reaching for his chest.

"Kagome…" He spoke, his voice stern, and his eyes shifting over to his sleeping mother beside his bed. "She has the shikon jewel… It's supposed to heal me by turning me into a human…" He sighed. "Whatever happens, don't let her use it."

Kagome cried out. "What?! Inuyasha, how could you-" She cut herself off as he slammed his eyes closed.

"Just trust me, Kagome…"

He let a soft smile fall onto his lips and turned his head to face her. "I didn't want this to just last a few hours." He said, idly lifting his hand and placing it on her cheek. He felt a droplet of a tear fall onto his hand and noted that she was crying… again.

"Is that all you ever do? Cry?" He asked, his usually raspy voice laced over with fatigue.

"When it comes to you, yeah." Kagome whimpered. "You don't understand, Inuyasha. You were the only person… the only one to ever care about… me!" She finished after searching for a word to fit into the end of the sentence. "You may not have liked me, but at least you took the time to know me. No one else ever even cared to…" She sniffled. "And I can't live without a person like you in my life!"

He closed his eyes again, the pain of her words sinking deep into the cockles of his heart. Inuyasha sighed and strained to lift himself to her level. "Kagome…" He said adjusting his weight so he was now sitting upright, both his hands on her face. "I told you to just trust me. Can you do that?"

Kagome nodded, despite his hands on her face. Inuyasha smirked and placed a light kiss on her lips.

"Alright."

Kagome smiled softly and placed her hand against his on her cheek. "I trust you…" She murmured, turning her face to place a soft kiss on his hand. She stiffened at the feeling of his hand, however. As tense as it had been throughout their conversation, it had gone completely limp. She gasped, pulling it away from her face to look at him. His eyes were still closed and his chest was hardly moving.

'What exactly am I trusting you to do though, Inuyasha?' She asked herself.

--

His mother watched him sleep peacefully, Kagome sitting across the bed from him, her eyes tired. Hours had passed since he'd woken up. Izayoi sighed, clenching the jewel in her hand.

"Kagome…" She began. The girl raised her head wearily and gave the woman her attention. "You should get some rest, dear. You haven't slept since I've been here." She said, softly. "When he wakes up again, I'll be sure to let you know."

Kagome smiled sadly and looked over the boy's features. He seemed to still be stuck in the form he'd taken in the ambulance. She remembered how terrified she was once they arrived.

Inuyasha had been doubled over in pain on the ground, Kagome frantically tried to calm him, but it was to no avail. He was still a half demon until the paramedics arrived, then he started to change right before everyone's eyes.

He'd made some growling whine before he passed out and the paramedics could get him on the stretcher. As soon as his eyes closed, his hair began switching to black one streak at a time, his ears were the next thing to disappear… Then those markings on his cheeks stretched down his face.

She thought he was just transforming into his demon self, but this was entirely different. His reaction to his own reflection proved he'd been expecting this.

Was this the end? Was he just lying to her, trying to keep her from worrying?

'What's his problem with that jewel?' She thought to herself, shooting Izayoi a glance.

She smiled and shook her head. "I am so exhausted, but I just can't sleep with him… like this.." She said, idly tracing a finger over his chest.

Izayoi nodded. "You know, I still can't get over that he actually told you how he felt."

Kagome chuckled. "Yeah, just before he decided to freak out on me, too. Couldn't have said it while he was telling me off at Taisho's or avoiding me in the hallways." She sighed, realizing her exhaustion had impaired her ability to speak rationally. "I'll never forgive him if he dies…" She muttered, clenching her eyes. "He wasted all that time… all that time hating me when we could have been like this…"

Izayoi's eyes softened. "He never hated you, Kagome…" Kagome perked her head up, urging her to explain herself. "You have to understand, my son has been through so much. After he lost his father, the rest of the world suddenly stopped accepting him. It started with his older brother… just hating him. He developed this mindset that… he really wasn't good enough. He didn't have friends until Kikyou and him began hanging out… then Sango joined in after standing up for him one day in the cafeteria." She smiled. "I remember the days he met them and came home all excited to tell me about them."

Kagome nodded, sadly. 'But it was Kikyou… Kikyou changed his life… not me…' She looked over at him again. 'Even though we did meet so long ago and I made you happy for that brief amount of time, you were still so troubled…'

"And I remember the day he came to me… telling me about you." Kagome gasped, looking up at her. "He told me that there was a girl that had just transferred to his school… and she had to be the prettiest thing he'd ever seen, but that wasn't the important past and he made sure I knew that." She chuckled. "He told me about a night a long time ago when he was outside playing after dark when he definitely wasn't supposed to be out during the night of the new moon no less… But he told me he'd seen some little girl walking around aimlessly and he pulled her away from some guy that wanted to hurt her and walked her home." Izayoi smiled, placing her hands in her lap.

"Of course, he was told that it wasn't you, but I think he wanted to believe otherwise. He didn't really give up on the idea until you and whoever that wolf boy that always picked on him got together."

"Kouga?" Kagome asked. "He didn't give up on me until I was dating Kouga? He never even approached me!"

Izayoi smiled and held her hand up to her. "These were just mindless talks at the dinner table, Kagome, it's nothing to get upset about."

Kagome nodded and stood.

"I think I'm going to get a drink… it might help keep me awake." She muttered. "Do you want anything?" She asked Izayoi who merely shook her head in response.

At the sound of the door clicking shut, Izayoi turned to her son. "You can wake up now…" She muttered.

Inuyasha popped one eye open, watching his mother. "How'd you know I was awake?" He asked groggily.

"I've been your mother for many years now, you know. We can tell these sort of things." She said, pulling a stick of chewing gum from her purse.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and propped himself up on his elbows.

"I brought the jewel…" She said, glancing the other way. "So, whenever you're ready…"

Inuyasha scoffed. "I'm not using it."

Izayoi shook her head. "Inuyasha, be reasonable, okay? There's no miracle that is going to save your life now except this!" She said holding out the jewel for emphasis. "So, you should use it."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. "Is this why you waited for Kagome to leave before waking me up?" He asked.

Izayoi nodded. "I wasn't born yesterday. Though, I don't know what you expected her to do to stop me."

"Keh…" Inuyasha turned his head from her. "I told you, I'm not using it."

"Inuyasha…" Izayoi groaned. "How can you possibly be acting like this at such a time?" Her voice raised a notch. "You are on the brink of death but you're far too proud to just become a human, huh? You think something else is going to safe you?!"

"You don't have to get all catatonic on me…" He said, groggily again.

"Yes I do, I'm your mother! I love you! It's my job to protect you, Inuyasha and you're acting reckless! You honestly want to just tear yourself away from me? You think I can live without you?! You're the only thing I have left, Inuyasha!" His mother shouted, tears springing to her eyes as she finally lay her head down on the bed and sobbed into her arms.

Inuyasha felt guilt rise through his body, and his lip stiffened just as Kagome walked into the room.

"What's with all the screaming?" She asked, another soda in her hand.

Inuyasha sighed and glanced at his mother.

"Can you just respect the fact that maybe I would rather die a half demon than live the rest of my life as something I wasn't born to be?" His voice was barely even a whisper but both Kagome and his mother heard. His mother lifted her head to face him, her expression in pure shock.

Kagome, on the other hand, was finally being hit by reality as she rushed to his side.

"Inuyasha?!" She shouted. 'He lied! He lied! He only wanted to die anyway…' She felt tears pouring down her face now as she grabbed his shoulders.

His amber eyes met hers and he took in the sight of her face just as it was enveloped with white light.

--

AN: I wanted this to be longer, but I wasn't a hundred percent on whether or not I wanted this chapter to be the end or the next one. I decided on the next one, obviously, so everyone… it's almost over!

I want to apologize again for the long-awaited update. This was just something I wasn't sure how to write, honestly. I did start my new story already. I'm probably updating that soon. Maybe tonight if I'm still feeling so ambitious. Check it out. It's called "The Roads That Lead To You"

Oh and I also bought myself a website last night. It's called seirona. Net. Thus far, I haven't even put up a page, but I'm working on it and I'm making an Inuyasha and Kagome shrine. Woo! So please check that out once it's up and running.

Please review! I love to know what you guys think!

Love Always,

Patche


	16. Banana Chocolate Ice Cream

I Stole Your Soul

**By: **Patche

**Disclaimer: **I, Patche, do not own Inuyasha, any of its characters or the lyrics to "This Is Twice Now" by Lydia (which will never be used in the story, but were great inspiration for the story)

**Chapter Sixteen: Banana Chocolate Ice Cream**

--

_'So, I'm dead, then…'_

He was shocked to find he had been cast into some white abyss. There was nothing.

_"Inuyasha!"_

He could hear Kagome's voice. It sounded almost like it was coming from above him. It was muffled and echoing through the space he currently inhabited.

_"Inuyasha, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't break the curse…"_ He could hear her sobbing.

_'What the hell is this?' _He thought, still seeming to float in the vast sea of white that surrounded him.

He saw in the distance a small speck of black. He watched it curiously as it headed toward him, expanding with each inch of distance it covered. He realized as the speck grew larger and larger, that it was in fact a hole and he could see something in the middle of it.

He gasped. The hole he was peering into was clearly showing him a scene from long ago. He saw his mother standing in the middle of Taisho's beside his father, a small bundle wrapped in blankets rested in her arms.

There was another woman standing beside them, her face contorted with rage as she yelled. Her voice grew in octaves until it echoed through the white landscape that surrounded him.

_"I will put a curse on this whole restaurant! No one here will know how it feels to be happy ever again!"_ The woman shrieked. She turned to the bundle in his mother's arms and sneered in disgust. As she began to reach for it, Inuyasha saw his father run in between his mother and this other woman. She smirked and took a step back.

_"But, there's an upside to this… If this abominable spawn of yours can ever be accepted… truly accepted for what he is. I'll lift the curse. Lucky for me, that'll never happen. A half demon will never even accept himself… how could anyone else learn to?"_

Inuyasha's eyes widened. _'What the hell is going on?' _He thought as the woman left the store. His mother and father just stared at the place she once inhabited, shock coursing through their expressions.

He heard a man clear his throat from behind him and Inuyasha turned around as the hole sealed up. He gasped, taking in the figure before his eyes. It was his father.

"Inuyasha…" He spoke, his voice booming as it always had.

"Dad…?" He asked, squinting an eye to make sure he wasn't just seeing things… though he didn't really know what to believe in this stranger, alter-reality his brain had subjected him to. The man chuckled.

"Sort of, I guess." He looked back up at Inuyasha, his amber eyes fixated on the boy. "I'm not real. This is all… more or less… just your own conscience's way of telling you that you broke the spell…"

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "So, it's some figment of my imagination?"

The man pursed his lips. "Yes."

"Well, I broke the spell…" Inuyasha began, "So, did I really have to die in the process?"

"Die?" The man asked.

Inuyasha scoffed and gestured to the white that surrounded him. "Is this not some sort of afterlife? Otherworld? Heaven? Hell?"

The man grunted in response and looked up to smile at Inuyasha once more. "The passageway to the afterlife is a good title."

"Awesome. So, I'm stuck in the middle…" Inuyasha said dryly.

"Inuyasha." The man said.

"What?" Inuyasha asked growing irritated with this strange situation he'd been thrown into.

"Inuyasha!" The man shouted again, his voice sounding more urgent.

"His eyes flickered!" The man shouted again.

"What are you talking about?" Inuyasha asked, taking a step closer to the man just as he and the white surrounding him disappeared and everything around him became black instead.

"He's coming to!"

Inuyasha gasped, opening his eyes and letting the light and the colors of the hospital room he'd been in moments ago fill his vision.

He gasped for breath, panting and looking around frantically.

"Oh my goodness…" He heard his mother say then squinted, turning his head to see her crying in the chair beside him.

"Inuyasha!" His eyes shot over to the sound of the familiar voice and he saw Kagome at the other side of his bed, her eyes red and her cheeks stained from crying.

He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't form words.

"Well…" He heard the same male voice from before and looked up to find a man in a white coat standing beside his mother. "Looks like miracles do happen sometimes…"

'What the hell is going on?' Inuyasha thought just as Kagome grabbed her mirror to answer his silent question. She held it up for him and he gasped at his reflection. He looked… normal. His ears were at the top of his head, his hair was its usual white color and his eyes had returned to their naturally amber hue.

"I was so worried!" His mother shouted, grabbing his hand with hers. "I thought you were gone!"

Inuyasha smiled weakly at her. "S….sorry…" She scoffed and stood up, giving her son's hand one last squeeze as she looked over at Kagome, who was clearly just as relived as she was. "I'll be back." She said softly. "I'm going to go talk with the doctor…"

He turned to face Kagome who bent down and placed a soft, gentle kiss on his forehead.

"I was scared, too…" She whispered. "But I knew deep down that you'd come back for me."

Inuyasha smiled and raised his hand to her face, groaning at the strain it put on his muscles. She smiled her soft sweet smile as one tear rolled from the corner of her eye and down the path so many others had trailed down before. Inuyasha grunted and wiped it away with his thumb.

"I swear, woman… that's all you ever do…"

She laughed weakly. "It's because I love you, idiot."

Inuyasha smiled. "Then I guess I don't mind it all that much." He said playfully. Kagome leaned down to brush her lips over his.

"I love you, too…" He murmured.

She pulled back slightly. "So, that wasn't all just some ploy to break the curse?"

Inuyasha let out a weak 'keh' and turned back to her. "This ain't the Beauty and the Beast, woman!" Kagome laughed and leaned down to kiss him once more.

"I really like the idea of doing this all the time…" Inuyasha murmured against her lips.

"Mmm" Kagome agreed. "Me too…"

"So, you'll stay with me, then?" Inuyasha asked, pulling away.

Kagome cocked her head to the side. "Of course, I will…"

Inuyasha smirked. "Good…" He sighed weakly as Kagome sat on the bed beside him.

She smiled and reached up to play with his ears. "I missed these things so much."

"They were only gone for a few hours!"

"Yeah, but you weren't my official boyfriend until they decided to disappear, which meant I couldn't touch them!" Kagome argued.

Inuyasha chuckled. "That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"Well, we've all got our quirks." Kagome said, pulling away from his triangular-shaped appendages.

"Like chocolate ice cream with banana chunks?" Inuyasha teased.

Kagome groaned and sat up.

"Aren't you tired yet?" She asked. "You've only been awake for like ten minutes and you're already under my skin!"

He laughed and grabbed her hand. "I'm just playing with you, woman." She sighed and sat down beside him. "I thought it was cute…"

"Thought what was cute?"

"That a girl like you was so determined to get something so silly. You could have been murdered that night, you know? But you wanted that freaking ice cream."

Kagome lay down and snuggled against Inuyasha's chest. "What can I say? I'm one of a kind…"

--

_One Month Later_

Inuyasha had finally returned to school. The hospital had been running constant checks on him, wondering how the virus had just disappeared from his bloodstream entirely. His mother wasn't a hundred percent sure that he'd lifted the curse either and was always waiting for him to become a human or a demon at any moment, like he had before.

Kagome, however, kept to her word and trusted him just as she promised. She knew that the curse had been lifted. She could tell just by the way Taisho's seemed a little brighter and everyone seemed to be smiling a little bit more than she'd ever seen before.

Rin even returned to work. She'd been sick with a bad stomach flu for weeks and had suddenly made a successful recovery just a day after Inuyasha had. Sango and Miroku began dating. Nothing too serious, but they seemed to enjoy each other enough. Miroku even quit his job at the hair salon and filled in at Taisho's when a position suddenly became available after the "dancing pizza slice" incident. Sesshoumaru found that Kagome's dance outside his restaurant that day had actually raised revenue so much that having someone hired to do it every day would bring in even more money. Needless to say, this saved Sesshoumaru from selling the company to a children's restaurant.

Miroku was happy to fill the position, and Kagome would even still come out and join him from time to time, since she knew the dance best.

At school, Kagome and Sango had become even closer. Kikyou still kept her distance but did make amends with Kagome… eventually.

As for Inuyasha and Kagome…

Inuyasha slid his hands into his pockets. It was the last day of the school year and he was walking his girlfriend home, just as he always had.

However, just as she began to turn the street that led to her house, Inuyasha grabbed her arm and pulled her the other direction.

"What are you…" She started, but hushed herself, falling into step behind him.

"We've been together a whole month now, Kagome. I think it calls for a celebration." She said, flashing her a cheesy grin.

She scoffed and smiled, despite herself. "Oh, and just where are you taking me?" She asked just as the sign appeared in front of her.

"The best place in the world." He said, looking at the ice cream shop before them.

She smiled, linking her hand with his.

"I think I'm going to try this magical Chocolate ice cream some girl told me she liked a long time ago."

"A girl?" Kagome asked, playing along with him.

"Yeah… just some chick. I like saved her from this mugger when we were six and then met her again a few years later after obsessing over her for the better portion of my pubescent years, but she was obsessing over me at the same time, so it works out. She gave me this necklace I wear all the time for saving her." He said, pulling the necklace out to show her. "She totally helped me break this curse that was placed on me, too." He looked down at Kagome. "Nothing for you to worry about though…"

Kagome giggled. "Sounds like a keeper."

"Oh, you have no idea…"

--

The End

AN: The ending seems a little weak. I tried to wrap most of every problem that arose within the story up, but I may have left out something that didn't matter to begin with.

There was a lot of confusion with the last chapter… it wasn't the end, guys. Just a cliffhanger.

However, this is the end. And yes, Inuyasha was the one who saved himself. It was all about how he needed to accept himself. Kagome helped somehow… I don't really know. I can't wrap this story up so well. I feel like I didn't write it haha.

Anyway… I already have my new story up to those of you who haven't read it yet. I am updating it soon. I just figured I needed to finish this since I've been receiving so many reviews telling me that the ending sucked… (Yes, I was very confused when I read them)

But oh my gosh, I'm almost at 300 reviews for this! Super exciting! I want to thank everyone that even bothered to read this plot-less monster! I appreciate it soso much and I really hope y'all will check out my new story.

Please review! I love to know what you guys think!

Love Always,

Patche


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